North Carolina’s Chick-fil-A restaurant is fined $6,000 for paying staff in CHICKEN who allow underage employees to operate dangerous equipment
- A July 2022 Facebook post said volunteers willing to work at the new drive thru at a North Carolina Chick-fil-A would be paid in food
- A state investigation found the franchisee also violated child labor laws when three workers — all under 18 — were subjected to hazardous jobs
- The restaurant was fined $6,450 to address the child labor violations and forced to pay $235 in arrears
A Chick-fil-A restaurant in North Carolina has been fined more than $6,000 for allowing a minor to operate dangerous equipment.
The fast-food chain, based at 52 Highland Square in Hendersonville, North Carolina, has violated child labor laws, according to a Labor Department investigation. The investigation also revealed that the same restaurant paid some of its employees with meal vouchers — instead of cash.
The restaurant owner, identified by Benzinga as Joel Benson, tried to lure volunteers with food to work at the new drive thru in a July 2022 Facebook post.
“We are looking for volunteers for our new Drive Thru Express! Earn 5 free entrees per shift (1 hour) worked. Message us for more info,” read the post, which quickly drew backlash and was deleted the same day.
The Chick-fil-A franchise owner has been identified as Joel Benson (pictured), reports Benzinga
According to the DOL report, three workers – all under the age of 18 – were subjected to hazardous work, including “operating, loading and unloading a compactor.”
The investigation also found that the owner paid certain traffic-directing employees to work for meal vouchers rather than real wages — a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage provisions, according to the agency’s Pay and Hours Division.
Civil penalties for the child labor violations totaled $6,450. The franchise was also made to pay $235 in back wages to seven employees.
In a statement, Richard Blaylock, district director for the Wage and Hour Division in Raleigh, North Carolina, said, “Child labor laws ensure that young people’s work does not endanger their health, well-being or educational opportunities,” he said.
“In addition, employers are responsible for paying workers for all hours worked, and payment must be made in cash or legal tender.”
A separate Chick-fil-A franchise was also fined for child labor violations earlier this year, according to DOL.
The Florida franchise was fined $12,478 in August 2022 when investigators found the employer allowed 17 workers, ages 14 and 15, to work after 7 p.m. and more than 3 hours during school days.
Investigators from DOL’s Wages and Hours Division also revealed that the owner paid certain employees who direct traffic to work for meal vouchers instead of wages, in violation of the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act
A flyer posted on the North Carolina restaurant’s Facebook page offered $15 an hour
A photo of the North Carolina Chick-fil-A that was part of the federal investigation
Known for its “Original Chicken Sandwich,” Chick-fil-A has more than 2,400 restaurants across the United States.
The fast-food chain, run by a conservative and devout Christian who has publicly criticized same-sex marriage, has donated millions of dollars to anti-gay groups in the past.
Despite the ire of the woke mobs, the American Customer Satisfaction Index ranked Chick-fil-A as the favorite fast food joint in the United States for the fifth straight year in 2022, according to Reader’s Digest.