Child Labor Back in Vogue: So, What’s Next – Teen Forced Labor Camps

McDonald’s Will Surely Take a Hit About This

Will the hardnosed GOP members of Congress (e.g., Sen. Mitch McConnell, Sen. Rand Paul, and Rep. James Comer) from KY be speaking out against this and holding investigations? 

Yeah, sure they will – this story from The Daily Mail with this headline:

“Hundreds of children are discovered at Kentucky McDonald's as chain faces federal fines”

·  Two 10-year-olds were found to have been working long, unpaid shifts at a Louisville, KY McDonald's

·  They are just two of 305 minors under the age of 16 who the U.S. DOL investigators discovered were working illegally at McDonald's

·  Other businesses across the country have been turning to younger workers to cope with the labor shortage

For Example: Two 10-year-old children were found to have been working unpaid shifts at a KY McDonald's, sometimes until 2 am. The two who have not been named prepared and served meals at the Louisville McDonald's, worked the drive-thru, cash register, and had to clean the floor. 

One of them was even allowed to work the deep fryer, a task that is considered illegal for anyone under the age of 16, as it involves “dangerous equipment.”

Those two are some of the over 450 under the age of 16 who the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division investigators discovered were working illegally at McDonald's and also at other locations (e.g., Dunkins) in IN, MD, OH, NH, PA, and VT. It also comes as businesses across the country have been turning to younger workers to cope with the labor shortage — with some states passing bills to ease child labor laws.

Background: The federal child labor provisions, authorized by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA), also known as the child labor laws, were enacted to ensure that when young people work, the work is safe, does not jeopardize their health, well-being, educational opportunities, and with a few limited exemptions in the law. 

My 2 Cents: Review time – Federal child labor law outlined above generally prohibits the employment of minors in non-agricultural occupations under the age of 14, restricts the hours and types of work that can be performed by minors under 16, and prohibits the employment of minors under the age of 18 in any hazardous occupation.

As outlined above, McDonald’s is obviously violating that law in those states and probably elsewhere, too. 

Plus, this appears to be a growing trend nationally, and that’s the worst part.

More on this topicto follow, I am sure. Stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by.