The federal authorities punished over a dozen cookie shops in six states for allowing employees as young as 14 to work in hazardous conditions that violated US child labour regulations. According to a statement issued by the US Department of Labor, an inquiry into 11 Crumbl Cookies franchise locations discovered 46 juveniles working in hazardous conditions. The Utah-based company is a rapidly expanding chain of cookie bakers. Crumbl Cookies, founded in 2017, has over 600 stores in 47 states. Workers under 16 are not permitted to work more than eight hours per day or forty hours per week. They are also not allowed to work before or after 7 a.m., except during the summer, when nighttime work hours are extended to 9 p.m. The federal government prohibits workers under 18 from performing dangerous jobs.
Investigation Found Crumbl Cookies Child Labor Laws:
Child labour infractions were discovered during the federal inquiry in California, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington. The violations varied from allowing the young employees to work more hours than the law provides to having them undertake activities they are not legally allowed to do, such as operating ovens and other machinery. “Employers must guarantee that part-time employment does not threaten the safety or education of young workers,” said Betty Campbell, regional administrator of the Department of Labor’s wage and hour division. “It is the obligation of every company who hires minors to understand and comply with child labour regulations, or face potentially severe consequences.”
Penalties Charged to Companies:
Eleven separate running businesses franchised the facilities with child labour offences. To rectify the infractions, the Department of Labor imposed fines of $57,854 on seven operators. Crumbl Cookies is not the case of child labour law infractions discovered by the Department of Labor. Throughout 2022, investigators found more than 3,800 children employed in contravention of the law, according to the government. According to them, this represents a 37% increase over previous years. The number of children working in dangerous jobs has also increased by 26%, with 688 minors working in hazardous situations in 2022.
Education Should Not Be Disturbed:
“Employers must guarantee that part-time employment does not threaten young workers’ safety or education,” Wage and Hour Division Regional Administrator Betty Campbell in Dallas emphasised. “It is the obligation of every company who hires minors to understand and comply with child labour regulations, or face potentially severe consequences.” Whether the school is in session or not, 14- and 15-year-old workers are not permitted to work more than eight hours per day or 40 hours per week, or before or after 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m., except during the summer months, according to the agency. Children under 18 are prohibited from working in hazardous situations under child labour regulations. Crumbl, founded in 2017, already has over 600 sites in 47 states.
Read Also:- Al Roker Replaced by Somara Theodore Amid Health Battle Continues
