Department of Labor finds child labor violations by operators of 5 McDonald’s locations in Western Pennsylvania; assesses $26K in penalties

PITTSBURGH – An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor has found the operator of five McDonald’s franchise locations in the greater Pittsburgh area employed 34 children to work later and longer than permitted by child labor laws.

The department’s Wage and Hour Division learned Endor Inc., based in Cranberry Township, violated federal child labor regulations by employing 14- and 15-year-old children to work outside permissible hours as follows:

• Before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m. between Labor Day and June 1.
• During school hours.
• Later than 9 p.m. on days between June 1 and Labor Day.
• More than 3 hours on a school day and more than 18 hours during a regular school week.
• More than 8 hours on a non-school day.

Owned by Paul and Meghan Sweeney, Endor Inc. paid $26,894 in civil money penalties to the department to resolve its Fair Labor Standards Act violations.

“Fast food restaurants offer young workers an opportunity to gain valuable work experience, but federal law makes sure their experiences do not come at the expense of their education or well-being,” explained Wage and Hour Division District Director John DuMont in Pittsburgh. “The Fair Labor Standards Act allows for developmental experiences but restricts the work hours of 14- and 15-year-olds and provides for penalties when employers do not follow the law.” 

The division’s investigation included the following locations and workers affected:

The YouthRules! initiative promotes positive and safe work experiences for teens by providing information about protections for young workers to youth, parents, employers and educators. Through this initiative, the U.S. Department of Labor and its partners promote developmental work experiences that help prepare young workers to enter the workforce. The Wage and Hour Division has also published Seven Child Labor Best Practices for Employers to help employers comply with the law.

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. Employers and workers can call the division confidentially with questions, regardless of where they are from. The department can speak with callers in more than 200 languages through the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).

Download the agency’s new Timesheet App, which is available for free in English and Spanish for Android and Apple devices, to ensure hours and pay are accurate.