LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Three Louisville McDonald's locations are being fined for violating child labor laws. The violations have resulted in more than $200,000 in fines.
The Department of Labor confirmed with WHAS11 News that one location was the McDonald's on Taylor Boulevard. This location is the same McDonald's where kids were recorded behind the counter in August 2022.
At the time, a McDonald's spokesperson said that the minors shown in the video weren't employees of the restaurant. The company said they were children of some of their employees.
The Department of Labor also confirmed with WHAS11 News that investigators found a pair of 10-year-olds working at the Taylor Boulevard McDonald's, operated by Bauer Food LLC.
The two young children would reportedly work the drive-thru window and operate a deep fryer, a prohibited task for employees under 16 years old.
Labor attorney Adam Johnson says kids must be over 14 years old to work at a restaurant in Kentucky. Even if they are 14 years old, they can't use certain equipment or work past 7 p.m.
Though the Taylor Boulevard location has to pay $39,711 for violations, Johnson says that's not enough.
"A business isn't going to learn anything by being slapped on the wrist for $39,000," he said.
Johnson says the state should increase the fine, allow private attorneys to sue the owner, and provide more oversight so no other child is exploited.
"This is a case where a business needs to be told what they can or cannot do," he said. "And the only way that ever comes about is more robust enforcement and people feeling comfortable with asserting their rights."
It's unclear which other two locations were fined, but the Department of Labor report says the three Louisville locations were among dozens of McDonald's restaurants fined throughout this multi-state investigation.
“Too often, employers fail to follow the child labor laws that protect young workers,” Wage and Hour Division District Director Karen Garnett-Civils in Louisville said. “Under no circumstances should there ever be a 10-year-old child working in a fast-food kitchen around hot grills, ovens and deep fryers.”
This was part of a larger investigation into three separate franchisees operating 62 McDonald's restaurants across Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland and Ohio.
These companies had 305 of employees under 16 years old working too many hours, according to the report.
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