Investigation Finds Children As Young As 10 Working At McDonald’s Franchise In Kentucky

The Department of Labor (DOL) has fined three McDonald’s franchisees more than $200,000 after an investigation revealed that hundreds of children — including two 10-year-olds — were working there violating federal labor law.

The DOL looked into Bauer Food LLC, Archways Richwood LLC and Bell Restaurant Group I LLC. According to the agency, these McDonald’s franchisees operate 62 restaurants in Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, and Ohio, which were found to have illegally employed 305 children. 

The children reportedly worked longer hours than the legally allowed hours and performed job tasks that are illegal for young workers. The investigations resulted in civil fines of $212,544 being imposed on the employers.

As part of their investigation, officials discovered that Bauer Food LLC hired two 10-year-olds to work at one of its locations–unpaid–and as late as 2 a.m., with one of the children even permitted to operate a deep fryer, a task for which workers must be at least 16 years old.

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“Too often, employers fail to follow the child labor laws that protect young workers,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Karen Garnett-Civils in Louisville, Kentucky. “Under no circumstances should there ever be a 10-year-old child working in a fast-food kitchen around hot grills, ovens and deep fryers,” she added.

Sean Bauer, the owner-operator of the franchise, stated that the two 10-year-olds mentioned in the Labor Department’s statement were visiting their mom, a night manager, and were not employees.

“Any ‘work’ was done at the direction of — and in the presence of — the parent without authorization by franchisee organization management or leadership,” Bauer said in a prepared statement Wednesday, adding that they’ve since reminded staff of the kid visitation rules.

Federal child labor laws provide tight restrictions on the types of jobs and the number of hours that children can work. The Kentucky investigations were a part of the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division’s efforts to end child labor abuses in the Southeast, the agency said in a recent news release.

Additionally, the DOL said that Archways Richwood and Bell Restaurant Group let kids between the ages of 14 and 15 to work longer hours than permitted. Archway Richwood did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Brdancat Management Inc., of which Bell Restaurant Group is a subsidiary, declined to comment, according to the Associated Press. 

McDonald’s USA issued a statement condemning what was uncovered and sharing their commitment to creating safe workplaces for all employees. 

“These reports are unacceptable, deeply troubling, and run afoul of the high expectations we have for the entire McDonald’s brand,” McDonald’s USA spokeswoman Tiffanie Boyd told the AP.

 “We are committed to ensuring our franchisees have the resources they need to foster safe workplaces for all employees and maintain compliance with all labor laws,” she added.