Two 10-year-old children were found to have been working unpaid shifts at a Kentucky McDonald's, sometimes until 2am.
The children, who have not been named, prepared and served meals at the Louisville McDonald's, worked the drive-thru and cash register and had to clean the floor.
One was even allowed to work the deep fryer, a task that is considered illegal for anyone under the age of 16, as it involves 'dangerous equipment.'
The two children are just some of 305 children under the age of 16 who the United States Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division investigators discovered were working illegally at McDonald's restaurants in Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland and Ohio.
It comes as businesses across the country have been turning to younger workers to cope with the labor shortage — with some states passing bills to ease child labor laws.
According to the Department of Labor, 62 McDonald's restaurants were found to have violated child labor laws
They are run by three franchises: Bauer Food LLC, Archways Richmond LLC and Bell Restaurant Group LLC, which were required to pay a total of $212,754 in fines.
Officials say Bauer Foods,...
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