In the US, investigators have uncovered hundreds of cases of child labor at the fast food chain McDonald’s. One case in particular shocked.
A McDonald’s franchise operator has employed several children, including two ten-year-olds, at a branch in Louisville, Kentucky. This is according to a statement from the United States Department of Labor.
Accordingly, the ten-year-olds received no money for their work. Their shifts sometimes lasted until 2 a.m. into the night.
The ten-year-olds put together and distributed food orders, cleaned the branch and worked on the drive-through window, the statement said. One of the two children was also supposed to operate a deep fryer, which is strictly forbidden under US law for under 16-year-olds.
Not an isolated case
The operator responsible, Bauer Food LLC, has now been fined $39,711 (around €35,925). The violations in the Louisville branch are not isolated cases. The operators Archways Richwood LLC and Bell Restaurant Group I LLC also violated applicable law.
In total, the three franchises operate 62 McDonald’s locations in the US states of Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland and Ohio – and employ 305 children who work more than the US legal allow- ance.
Bauer Food LLC had a total of 24 minors under the age of 16 working at its branches, Archways Richwood LLC had 242 minors between the ages of 14 and 15 working in excess of the legal limit, and Bell Restaurant Group I LLC had 39 minors between the ages of 14 and 15. Overall, the investigations resulted in fines of $212,544 (€192,278) against the employers, the ministry said.
