Did McDonald’s hire 10-year-olds to work in Kentucky? Details explored as brand faces federal charges for child labor violations

A McDonald’s franchisee in Kentucky has found itself in troubled waters after it was fined by federal agencies for allegedly hiring 10-year-olds. As per the investigations of the United States Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, the Louisville-based, Bauer Food LLC was not only making two 10-year-olds work at one of their Kentucky restaurants but was also not paying them besides overworking them.

The investigations also uncovered other cases of child labor violations at two other franchisees with over 62 locations across Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, and Ohio. As per the federal agencies, these franchisees were found to have employed over 305 children, who were working more than legally permitted hours. The employed children were also performing tasks that are prohibited by law for their age.

Two 10-year-olds were found to be working at a McDonald’s franchisee in Kentucky without any pay (Image via Budrul Chukrut/ SOPA Images/ LightRocket/ Getty Images)

The other two franchisees involved in the matter include Archways Richwood, based in Walton, Kentucky, and Bell Restaurant Group, based in Louisville. All three franchises involved in the child labor violations have been issued with civil penalties totaling $212,754.

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McDonald’s franchisee, Bauer Food LLC, and others face fines for violating child labor laws

Recent investigations conducted by the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor have brought forward shocking news where at least three McDonald’s franchisees are said to have violated child labor laws. The three franchisees involved in the matter have been said to have employed 14 and 15-year-olds and made them work outside of and over the number of hours minors are permitted to work.

One of the franchisees in the case is even known to have employed two 10-year-olds without paying them, making them work as late as 2 am. The franchisees that have been issued with civil penalties totaling $212,754 include - Bauer Food LLC, Archways Richwood LLC, and Bell Restaurant Group I LLC. These franchisees run over 62 McDonald's locations across Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, and Ohio.

As per the federal agency, the two 10-year-olds working at a McDonald’s franchisee-owned by Bauer Food LLC were below the minimum age for employment. The minors were tasked with preparing and distributing food orders, cleaning the store, working at the drive-thru window, and operating a register. The division also said that one of the two children was even allowed to operate a deep fryer, a prohibited task for workers under 16. The federal agency fined the franchise $39,711 in civil money penalties to address the child labor violations.

Signs at a McDonald’s restaurant in the United States (Image via EPics/Getty Images)

Previously in February, the labor department fined a franchise operator of seven McDonald’s restaurants in Pennsylvania towns for illegally allowing 14 and 15-year-olds to work at times and over hours not permitted by federal child labor laws. Other such cases were also reported from Pennsylvania and Tennessee, where the franchisees were allowing minors to work later than 9 pm and allowing some minors to use deep fryers.

The Pennsylvania case was settled with a civil penalty of $57,332 for the violations, while the fines for the Tennessee franchisee were assessed to be $3,258.

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Are franchisee workers employees of McDonald’s or the franchisee itself

It is common knowledge that franchisees use a chain's menu, logo, brand, and other such things, but they are still independent to work as a business in many ways. From managing their own accounting and operational tasks to human resource functions, it all falls under the responsibility of the franchisee itself.

While the fast food chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, and others usually conduct audits at regular intervals, they may not always have a say on who the franchisee hires and what their wages are. In simple terms, the employees working at a franchisee are not the employees of the fast food chain but the franchisee itself.

McDonald’s franchisees are solely responsible for hiring employees and deciding their working conditions (Image via Justin Sullivan/ Getty Images)

As such, the chain may not always have a say in their working conditions, wages, and other things related to the employees. However, the fast food chain can always suggest the franchisee improvise things to maintain the brand's image and comply with federal laws and regulations.