Labor Department Fines Carolina Restaurant Chains for Child Labor Violations

An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor has found that four well-known restaurant chains in South Carolina worked teenage employees more hours and later into the night than is allowed by law. The agency fined franchise owners of Subway, Burger King, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Frodo’s Pizza restaurants less than $4,000 each for the violations.

“Child labor laws exists to ensure that young workers gain valuable workplace experience, but not at the expense of their education or safety,” Jamie Benefiel, the department’s wage and hour division director in Columbia, South Carolina, said in a bulletin.

The investigation found that the restaurants allowed some 14- and 15-year-old workers to work past 9 p.m. during the summer and past 7 p.m. on school nights; or let some teens work more than 18 hours per week during the school year; or let 16-year-olds work as delivery drivers, something that is prohibited by federal law.