Kentucky McDonald’s Franchise to Pay $16,994 Penalty After U.S. Department of Labor Discovers Child Labor Violations

LOUISVILLE, KY – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), 4Bright Management LLC – operator of three Louisville, Kentucky-based McDonald’s franchise locations – will pay a civil money penalty of $16,994 for violating child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators determined 4Bright Management violated child labor requirements by employing 14- and 15-year-olds to work outside of legally approved hours and for more hours than allowed by law. Investigators found 62 minors worked more than three hours on a school day or more than eight hours on a non-school day; worked more than 18 hours per week during school weeks; and worked after 7 p.m. Labor Day through May 31 – all FLSA violations. 4Bright also employed 14- and 15-year-old employees to perform job duties prohibited by law for their age. The young workers operated deep-fat fryers that were not equipped with devices that automatically lowered and raised the baskets into and out of the hot oil.

“Child labor laws exist to strike a balance between providing meaningful work experience for young people and keeping them safe on the job while not interfering with their educational opportunities,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Karen Garnett-Civils, in Louisville, Kentucky. “We encourage all employers – especially those who employ minors – to review their employment obligations and to contact the Wage and Hour Division for compliance assistance. Employers can avoid violations like those found in this case.”

WHD found the violations at three McDonald’s franchise locations in Louisville operated by 4Bright Management LLC, at 420 E. Market, 4940 Brownsboro Road and 5015 Shelbyville Road.

The Department offers numerous resources to ensure employers have the tools they need to understand their responsibilities and to comply with federal law, such as online videos and confidential calls to local WHD offices.

For more information about child labor standards, the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Employers that discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through the PAID program. Information is also available at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd.

WHD’s mission is to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the nation’s workforce. WHD enforces federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. WHD also enforces the paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, wage garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act and a number of employment standards and worker protections as provided in several immigration related statutes. Additionally, WHD administers and enforces the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act and other statutes applicable to federal contracts for construction and for the provision of goods and services.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.