McDonald’s operator violated child labor laws but Maryland restaurants weren't cited

Dwight A. Weingarten, The Herald-Mail
·2 min read
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The U.S. Department of Labor found an operator of McDonald’s restaurants in Maryland, Kentucky and Indiana in violation of child labor laws during a recent investigation that showed 10-year-olds working without pay.

Brdancat Management, which operates five restaurants in Maryland, allowed 39 workers, ages 14 and 15, to work hours they were not permitted to work at its U.S. establishments. Federal child labor law requires that for employees of those ages, work must:

  • Be performed outside of school hours.

  • Not exceed more than three hours on a school day and eight hours on a non-school day.

  • Not exceed 18 hours during a school week and 40 hours during a non-school week.

Two of the children were allowed to work during school hours, the Labor Department investigation found. The employer was fined $29,267 for the violations.

Maryland McDonald's not cited in federal investigation

A U.S. Department of Labor spokesperson said, according to the investigation, the violations did not occur at the Maryland establishments, which are located in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and Howard counties.

“Based on the evidence in our investigation, child labor violations were not cited at these establishments,” said a Department of Labor spokesperson, in an email. “The Wage and Hour Division encourages anyone to contact us if they have knowledge of child labor violations or any of the laws we enforce.”

Brdancat Management, which operates 13 McDonald’s restaurants in Louisville and includes the Louisville-based Bell Restaurant Group I LLC, was one of three Kentucky-based operators found to be in violation of the federal child labor laws. Between the three, over 300 children were found to be working illegally and a total of $212,000 in fines were assessed.

Children employed in violation of labor laws on the rise, nationally.

Bauer Food LLC, also based in Louisville, had the two 10-year-old children working, but not paid, at its McDonald’s restaurants.

More: 10-year-old workers in McDonald's among over 300 minors discovered in Labor probe

Those children sometimes worked as late as 2 a.m., investigators found. One of the children operated a deep fryer, a task outlawed for workers under 16 years old.

“Child labor laws exist to ensure that when young people work, the job does not jeopardize their health, well-being or education,” said U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division District Director Karen Garnett-Civils, in a release.

The department has found more than a nationwide doubling of minors employed in violation of child labor laws in the past five years. In 2017, there were 1,609 minors employed in violation. In 2022, that number had grown to 3,876 children.

A list of requirements for employers dealing with minors as employees has been published on the U.S. Department of Labor website. A complaint can be filed online or via phone at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243).

Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Child labor violations at McDonald's, but Md. restaurants not cited.