Chick-fil-A is good — but it’s not as good as a paycheck.
One Chick-fil-A franchisee in Hendersonville, North Carolina, learned that the hard way, and is now facing more than $6,000 in fines for allegedly allowing three workers younger than 18 years old to operate, load, or unload a trash compactor, according to WIS-TV.
The location owner also reportedly paid certain employees with meal vouchers instead of paychecks. The same franchisee, operating under the name Good Name 22:1, LLC, faced backlash over the summer over a since-deleted social media post asking for “volunteer” workers who could earn free entrées instead of dollars.
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Officials with the U.S. Department of Labor said the restaurant’s owner violated federal child labor regulations prohibiting minors from performing hazardous tasks. The guidelines state 16- and 17-year-old workers “may load, but not operate or unload, certain scrap paper balers and paper box compactors under very specific guidelines.”
“Protecting our youngest workers continues to be a top priority for the Wage and Hour Division,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Richard Blaylock. “Child labor laws ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health, well-being or educational opportunities. In addition, employers are responsible to pay workers for all of the hours worked and the payment must be made in cash or legal tender.”
In total, the franchisee was reportedly fined $6,450 for the child labor violations and asked to pay $235 to seven employees for the outstanding wages they earned.
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