The owner of a North Carolina Chick-fil-A was fined more than $6,000 and ordered to pay a small number of employees unpaid wages after the Labor Department found multiple child laborers and minimum wage violations.
The Chick-fil-A site in Hendersonville, N.C., owned by Good Name 22:1 LLC, allowed three workers under the age of 18 to operate, load or unload trash compactors, according to a DOL report Monday. , which resulted in a $6,450 fine.
Federal regulations on child labor prohibit the employment of minors in hazardous work.
Jobs considered hazardous include driving a motor vehicle, meat packing or processing, operating electric machinery and roofing work.
Florida family’s chick snatched off porch by hungry bear
Image of the Chick-fil-a logo with the American flag in the background.
(iStock)
DOL’s wage and hour division also imposed fines after it discovered restaurants were paying certain employees directing traffic in drive-thru areas and parking lots meal vouchers instead of actual wages.
As a result of the violation, the location was ordered to pay seven employees $235 in unpaid wages.
Florida man jumps off Burger King counter, threatens workers with tongs for free food: Surveillance video
A Chick-fil-A in Hendersonville, North Carolina, was fined after it discovered a small number of workers were paid with meal coupons instead of wages.
Richard Blaylock, district supervisor of the Raleigh, N.C., division of wages and hours, issued a statement saying protecting the youngest workers is a top priority for his department.
“Child labor laws ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health, wellbeing or educational opportunities. In addition, employers are responsible for paying workers for all hours worked, and this must be in cash or legal tender,” he continued.
A Chick-fil-A in Tampa, Fla., was slapped with a similar fine after the owner allowed 17 workers, ages 14 and 15, to work past 7 p.m. for more than three hours each day during school hours. Department of Labor.
An image of the U.S. Department of Labor logo.
Click here for the Fox News app
Employers who are unsure about wage and hour laws may contact the department at 1-866-4-US-WAGE. Employees can confidentially call the same number to report any violations. The department is able to communicate in more than 200 languages.
Fox News Digital reached out to Chick-fil-A for comment but has yet to hear back.
