Authorities Discover 10-Year-Olds Were Forced To Work at McDonald's Sometimes Until 2 a.m.
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We’d like to believe that the US places the safety and well-being of children at the top of its priority list. But time and time again, evidence seems to point to the complete opposite. And in 1913, a law prohibited the employment of children under the age of 14.
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But that doesn’t mean that, more than 100 years later, some instances of child labor don't slip through the cracks. One such story came to light recently, when authorities learned that two 10-year-old children had been working at a McDonald's restaurant in Kentucky.
ALL THE WORK WAS DONE IN THE PRESENCE OF THEIR PARENT.
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Reportedly, neither the food corporation nor franchise leadership approved the minors to be a part of the restaurant team.
BAUER FOOD LLC SAYS ALL EMPLOYEES ARE NOW CLEAR ON RULES INVOLVING KIDS VISITING THEIR PARENTS AT WORK.
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"Under no circumstances should there ever be a 10-year-old child working in a fast-food kitchen around hot grills, ovens and deep fryers," Karen Garnett-Civils, the wage and hour division district director in Louisville, Kentucky, noted in the Labor Department's statement.
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The problem evidently extends beyond just these two children. As a result, Bauer Food was fined $39,711 the department said.
THIS ISN'T BAUER FOOD'S ONLY VIOLATION OF CHILD LABOR LAWS.
"These reports are unacceptable, deeply troubling and run afoul of the high expectations we have for the entire McDonald's brand," Tiffanie Boyd, senior vice president and chief people officer at McDonald's USA, told Insider in a statement.
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INCREASINGLY, POLITICIANS AT THE STATE LEVEL ARE TRYING TO ROLL BACK CHILD LABOR LAWS.
"It is not lost on us the significant responsibility we carry to ensure a positive and safe experience for everyone under the Arches." But McDonald’s is not the only place where child labor laws are being broken. The Labor Department has seen an increase in federal violations, Garnett-Civils said.
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According to the Economic Policy Institute, in the past two years, many state politicians have suggested that child labor protections be rolled back and, "weaken state-level child labor standards," with the goal of "diluting" federal standards.
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"One child injured at work is one too many. Child labor laws exist to ensure that when young people work, the job does not jeopardize their health, well-being or education," wrote Garnett-Civils.
