Wendy's Franchisee Hit With $160K Fine Over Child Labor

A Wendy's franchisee was just hit with a massive fine after the US Department of Labor found it had violated child labor laws, allowing kids employed by restaurants in nine states to work longer hours than they were supposed to, or outside the parameters of when they were allowed to work. The News-Press reports that Manna Inc.—a franchisee based in Louisville, Ky., that owns nearly 100 Wendy's and Fazoli's eateries—was hit with a $157,411 civil penalty for violating the child labor part of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Per a release, investigators from the USDL's Wage and Hour Division found 446 minors who were either 14 or 15 worked before 7am or after 7pm on school nights, worked upward of three hours on a school day, or more than eight hours on a non-school day, which all flout the FLSA. "Child labor laws exist to ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health and well-being or educational opportunities," a Kentucky labor expert tells the News-Press. The states where the violations were found include Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. (More Wendy's stories.)