Labor Violations Involving Minors at Multiple Freddy's Steakburgers in Alabama Result in Penalties

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(Alabama)- On April 15, 2024, the Alabama Department of Labor reported that seven Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers franchise locations in the state violated child labor laws after an investigation revealed 149 children, under 16 worked longer and later than legally allowed by federal law and asked a 15-year-old to illegally use a manual deep fryer.

Photo byTWAJAB/ Canva

According to the official news release by ADOL:

Investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division determined that locations, owned by Mark Houghton, employed children – ages 14 and 15 – to work more than three hours on a school day, after 7 p.m. between the day after Labor Day and May 31, and after 9 p.m. between June 1 and Labor Day. They also learned the employer employed a 15-year-old child to use a fryer without an automatic device for lowering and raising its baskets, a prohibited occupation by law.

"The Fair Labor Standards Act restricts the hours 14- and 15-year-olds can work and identifies dangerous jobs that are prohibited for workers under 18 years old. Positive and safe first work experiences can allow young people to develop skills, earn money and learn what it means to be part of the labor force, but a job should never endanger a child’s well-being," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Kenneth Stripling.

The Freddy's entities found in violation in Alabama were located on...

• 301 Doug Baker Blvd in Birmingham.
• 3270 Mary Taylor Road in Birmingham.
• 2556 Helena Road in Helena.
• 5634 Grove Blvd in Hoover.
• 2059 Highway 78 East in Jasper.
• 190 Vaughan Lane in Pell City.
• 315 15th Street in Tuscaloosa.

Houghton was ordered to pay $119,029 in civil penalties to resolve the violations.

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