Multiple McDonald’s Locations Facing Serious Charges for Child Labor Law Violations
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The mega food company, McDonald’s, is under fire this week. The Department of Labor has reported that multiple franchise locations across Pennsylvania have child labor law violations. A company called Santonastasso Enterprises owns numerous franchises of the McDonald’s company in Pittsburgh.
The company has come under fire from child law associates because they allegedly allowed under-18s to work more than three hours after 7 pm on school days and 9 pm on weekends or school holidays. According to the labor department, these working hours are above the legal hours, and times under 18s are allowed to work.
It has been reported that in one location, a child under the age of sixteen operated a manual deep fryer. This piece of equipment did not possess a device to lift the basket of food once it was cooked automatically. Thus, putting such a young child in danger of being burned.
These violations were happening in various locations nationwide, as the labor department stated that child labor laws violations were in thirteen different McDonald’s restaurants. These violations involved 101 minors who were working in an unsafe environment or not within the legal times. Due to the breaking of these laws, the franchise owners were fined $57,000, which they promptly paid.
The owners of Santonastasso Enterprises released a statement where they apologized for any scheduling issues that resulted in them breaking the child employment laws and said that they take their role as local employers incredibly seriously. They state that their priority will always be the safety of their employees. Since the investigation from the labor department, they have implemented a range of new procedures to ensure that they don’t have any issues with mirrors working inappropriate hours again.
McDonald’s has released nearly all their locations as franchises, so with problems like this, the franchise owners, not McDonald’s, are liable for any employment issue that occurs on the premises.
Minors under 18 cannot work excessive hours as it can threaten their safety, welfare, and focus on education. Any employer that hires workers in this age bracket needs to understand that it comes with stipulations that must be followed. If they do not follow these laws, it can result in more significant fines or, eventually, closure.
This incident is not the first time McDonald’s has come under fire for breaking the law. They are known as one of the big companies that are known to be a part of the deforestation of the Amazon and take advantage of small local farmers in second and third-world countries. When it comes to profit, they are a ruthless company.
While it is excellent for young people to have part-time jobs, it gives them a sense of independence and teaches them the value of money. Big companies cannot take advantage of their innocence and willingness to work for a profit. McDonald’s and the franchises should know better, as they have been operating as a wildly successful company for long enough. Hopefully, this is a one-time occurrence that won’t happen again.
