Decent work should always be compensated with decent wages. But this Chick-fil-A franchise thought that they could get away with merely filling their employees’ stomachs instead of giving them monetary compensation.
It has been discovered that one of the restaurant’s franchises in Hendersonville, North Carolina was not paying some of their workers properly. Instead, meal vouchers were provided to some of the workers who were tasked to manage the drive-thru traffic, as well as the branch’s parking lot. For this violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, they were told to pay $235 worth of wages to the identified seven employees.
The Hendersonville Chick-fil-A posted a call for volunteers on their social media account last July. The restaurant said that they would be providing meals to their “volunteers” instead of monetary payment. Upon seeing this, the public immediately criticized them, leading the restaurant to take down the post. A Chick-fil-A representative also said that most branches are individually owned. He confirmed that company management did not approve the program.
It was also discovered that the branch has been violating child labor laws, according to the Department of Labor. Apparently, they allowed three minors to work the trash compactor. Federal laws state that children should not be assigned to dangerous tasks such as driving motor vehicles, meat packing or processing, roofing work, as well as operating machines. Because of the violation, the Department of Labor fined the owner $6,450.
Similarly, another Chick-fil-A in Tampa was also found to be allowing 17 minors, aged 14 and 15 years old, to work beyond the three-hour maximum on a school day and past the 7 pm cut-off time.
Wage and Hour Division District Director Richard Blaylock ensured that they are making it a priority to protect the welfare of young workers, make sure that they are well, and they get the educational opportunities that they need.
