[US] McDonald's franchisee accused of overworking more than 100 teens

[US] McDonald's franchisee accused of overworking more than 100 teens
09 Dec 2022

In the US, a Department of Labor investigation has uncovered child labour violations involving more than 100 youths at McDonald’s locations in the greater Pittsburgh area, The Washington Post reports.

Santonastasso Enterprises - a McDonald’s franchisee - violated US labour law by permitting a number of 14- and 15-year-olds to work outside legal hours at 13 restaurants, the Labor Department announced on December 5. 

In one case, a minor was reportedly permitted to illegally operate a fryer without the proper safety equipment.

Labour investigators said these McDonald’s locations broke the law by permitting 14- and 15-year-olds to work more than three hours a day, and after 7pm on school days, as well as later than 9pm during the summer. 

In addition, the agency accused the company of illegally employing youths for more than eight hours a day on weekends and more than 18 hours a week during school weeks.

“Permitting young workers to work excessive hours can jeopardize their safety, well-being and education,” Labor Department official John DuMont said. “Employers who hire young workers must understand and comply with federal child labour laws or face costly consequences.”

According to the Labor Department, Santonastasso was fined $57,000 for the child labour violations.

In a Facebook video posted in 2021, franchisee owners John and Kathleen Santonastasso reportedly said that they ran a “people first” company that offered a “fun” environment, flexibility and the opportunity to earn money for college. 

On December 9 they said the company now has new procedures to prevent problems with schedules.

In a statement, John and Kathleen Santonastasso said, “We take our role as a local employer very seriously and we regret any scheduling issues that may have occurred at our restaurants.”

McDonald’s said that although franchisees make local decisions around labour and employment practices, they are expected to comply with laws and uphold the company’s values.

“McDonald’s and our franchisees do not take lightly the positive impact we can deliver – and therefore the profound responsibility we carry – when someone works at a McDonald’s, particularly as their first job,” the company said in its statement.

The investigation comes in the wake of a series of reports in 2022 about the illegal use of child workers in other industries, including meatpacking and auto-parts manufacturing, amid a nationwide labour shortage. 

Employers across the states have been increasingly hiring younger workers. The trend has been particularly noticeable in sectors where staffing was hit hardest by the pandemic, such as restaurants.

Earlier this year, the Labor Department accused Alabama plants that manufacture auto parts for Hyundai and Kia of illegally using child labour following Reuters reporting that a Hyundai subsidiary near Montgomery employed migrant youths as young as 12.

In November, another federal investigation found that one of the nation’s largest providers of food safety sanitation had illegally employed dozens of youths at several JBS-owned meatpacking plants in the Midwest. Investigators reportedly found that 13- and 14-year-olds suffered severe chemical burns while working with cleaning products on graveyard shifts.

The Fair Labor Standards Act includes a series of child labour laws enacted to protect minors’ well-being and educational opportunities and to prevent them from working under dangerous conditions.

Investigators found child labour law violations in more than 4,000 cases, involving more than 13,000 minors, between 2017 and 2021, the Labor Department said today.


Source: The Washington Post

(Links and quotes via original reporting)

In the US, a Department of Labor investigation has uncovered child labour violations involving more than 100 youths at McDonald’s locations in the greater Pittsburgh area, The Washington Post reports.

Santonastasso Enterprises - a McDonald’s franchisee - violated US labour law by permitting a number of 14- and 15-year-olds to work outside legal hours at 13 restaurants, the Labor Department announced on December 5. 

In one case, a minor was reportedly permitted to illegally operate a fryer without the proper safety equipment.

Labour investigators said these McDonald’s locations broke the law by permitting 14- and 15-year-olds to work more than three hours a day, and after 7pm on school days, as well as later than 9pm during the summer. 

In addition, the agency accused the company of illegally employing youths for more than eight hours a day on weekends and more than 18 hours a week during school weeks.

“Permitting young workers to work excessive hours can jeopardize their safety, well-being and education,” Labor Department official John DuMont said. “Employers who hire young workers must understand and comply with federal child labour laws or face costly consequences.”

According to the Labor Department, Santonastasso was fined $57,000 for the child labour violations.

In a Facebook video posted in 2021, franchisee owners John and Kathleen Santonastasso reportedly said that they ran a “people first” company that offered a “fun” environment, flexibility and the opportunity to earn money for college. 

On December 9 they said the company now has new procedures to prevent problems with schedules.

In a statement, John and Kathleen Santonastasso said, “We take our role as a local employer very seriously and we regret any scheduling issues that may have occurred at our restaurants.”

McDonald’s said that although franchisees make local decisions around labour and employment practices, they are expected to comply with laws and uphold the company’s values.

“McDonald’s and our franchisees do not take lightly the positive impact we can deliver – and therefore the profound responsibility we carry – when someone works at a McDonald’s, particularly as their first job,” the company said in its statement.

The investigation comes in the wake of a series of reports in 2022 about the illegal use of child workers in other industries, including meatpacking and auto-parts manufacturing, amid a nationwide labour shortage. 

Employers across the states have been increasingly hiring younger workers. The trend has been particularly noticeable in sectors where staffing was hit hardest by the pandemic, such as restaurants.

Earlier this year, the Labor Department accused Alabama plants that manufacture auto parts for Hyundai and Kia of illegally using child labour following Reuters reporting that a Hyundai subsidiary near Montgomery employed migrant youths as young as 12.

In November, another federal investigation found that one of the nation’s largest providers of food safety sanitation had illegally employed dozens of youths at several JBS-owned meatpacking plants in the Midwest. Investigators reportedly found that 13- and 14-year-olds suffered severe chemical burns while working with cleaning products on graveyard shifts.

The Fair Labor Standards Act includes a series of child labour laws enacted to protect minors’ well-being and educational opportunities and to prevent them from working under dangerous conditions.

Investigators found child labour law violations in more than 4,000 cases, involving more than 13,000 minors, between 2017 and 2021, the Labor Department said today.


Source: The Washington Post

(Links and quotes via original reporting)