CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — A Clarkesville Zaxby’s must pay $15,000 in fines after a Department of Labor investigation found 19 underage employees were put to work outside of the legally allowed hours.
According to the Dept. of Labor, the McDreams Enterprises franchise location let minors work during school hours and more than three hours per school day, as well as shifts longer than eight hours on non-school days. Both of these shift lengths are illegal, according to federal law.
The 19 workers, all between the ages of 14 and 15 years old, worked more than 18 hours during school weeks before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m., also a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, according to USDOL.
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Along with the illegal hours, the investigation discovered that “the employer allowed 15-year-old employees to operate a deep fryer without automatic controls to lift the fry basket in and out of the hot oil or grease,” which is a prohibited task for minor workers.
The investigation also discovered two general managers did not meet the minimum weekly salary of $684 for an overtime exemption.
USDOL said McDreams Enterprises lost their ability to claim overtime exemptions for the employees and owed them time-and-a-half payment for the hours the two general managers worked.
McDreams Enterprises was fined $15,979 for child labor violations, while $1,177 was recovered for the two employees, according to USDOL.
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