The owners and operators of six Sonic Drive-In restaurants in northwest Nevada have paid more than $70,000 in civil penalties for allegedly violating federal child labor laws.
Federal investigators in the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division determined SDI of Neil LLC, which operates as Sonic Drive-In, committed more than 170 violations of the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Those included assigning employees under the age of 16 to work longer hours than federal regulations allow and assigning them tasks considered too dangerous for younger workers, such as operating manual deep fryers, the department said Monday in a statement.
"While learning new skills in the workforce is … valuable as teens grow up, federal law dictates how employers must protect children by making sure their first jobs are safe and that they do not interfere with their education or well-being," Wage and Hour Division District Director Gene Ramos said in the statement.
According to federal investigators, one of restaurants' owners also hired a child who was 13 years old at the time of employment — one year younger than the legal age for employment in restaurants and other nonagricultural jobs.
SDI of Neil and its owners Taylor M. Cain, Ian N. Cain and Quinn M. Cain paid $71,182 in civil penalties for violations that occurred at restaurants in Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Fallon and Minden.
As part of the resolution, the owners also agreed to pay $274 in overtime owed to...
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