*A Chick-fil-A in Hendersonville, North Carolina has been fined for reportedly paying volunteer workers in food vouchers.
According to reports, the location also violated child labor laws by using underage teenagers for hazardous work, the U.S. Department of Labor said.
The DOL fined the franchisee $6,685 following an investigation that found several employees under age 18 were tasked with directing traffic, then paid with meal vouchers instead of the minimum wage as legally required.
“Child labor laws ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health, well-being or educational opportunities,” Richard Blaylock, the DOL’s wage and hour division district director in Raleigh, North Carolina, stated in a news release. 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.”
READ MORE: Here’s Why Chick-fil-A Workers Always Say ‘My Pleasure’ | WATCH
As SandraRose reports, a now-deleted post on Chick-Fil-A’s Facebook page sought “volunteers” for its drive-thru and attempted to lure free workers with an ad that read “Earn five free entrees per shift (1 hr) worked.”
“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 in Raleigh, North Carolina. “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.”
Per the DOL’s statement, in August 2022, a Chick-Fil-A in Tampa, Florida “paid $12,478 in civil money penalties after division investigators found the employer allowed 17 workers, ages 14- and 15-years-old, to work past 7 p.m. and more than 3 hours during school days.”
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