By Jason Arndt
Editor
Federal officials have accused the Wendy’s restaurant in Burlington of violating child labor laws as part of a nine-state investigation involving its parent company Manna Inc.
Manna Inc., which operates 99 Wendy’s and Fazoli’s franchises, was ordered to pay $157,114 in the crackdown by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.
The investigation revealed Manna Inc. violated child labor requirements by allowing 14- and 15-year-old employees to work outside of legally approved hours, a Department of Labor news release states, adding 446 minors were involved.
The WHD contends minors worked before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on school nights, worked more than three hours on a school day or worked more than eight hours on a non-school day, all of which are violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
“Child labor laws exist to ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health and well-being or educational opportunities,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Karen Garnett-Civils.
“We encourage all employers to review their employment obligations and to contact the Wage and Hour Division for compliance assistance.”
The local Wendy’s, 2049 Milwaukee Avenue, was one of 40 restaurants in Wisconsin allegedly in violation of the FLSA regulations and includes five Fazoli’s restaurants, according to a list provided by the WHD.
The list shows how many minors were involved in each investigation and indicates the Burlington location had one who worked beyond legally approved hours.
Burlington, however, was not the only one franchise on the list in Racine and Kenosha counties.
East of interstate 94, investigators found Wendy’s, 4910 Washington Ave., Racine, in violation along with another in Mount Pleasant, 7035 Durand Ave., Sturtevant.
In Kenosha County, where both restaurants are within the City of Kenosha, investigators learned four minors worked beyond approved hours at 4420 52nd Street and another two at the Highway 50 location, 7435 122nd Avenue.
The investigation did not find any Walworth County restaurants in violation of the laws.
In addition to Wisconsin, the investigation included Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Tennessee.
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