Teen Arby’s employees worked too many hours, feds say. Now SC franchisee faces fine
Teens worked too many hours at Arby’s, and now a South Carolina franchisee faces a fine, federal officials said.
Newberry Restaurant Group Inc. — which operates more than a dozen fast-food restaurants across the state — is accused of not complying with child labor laws at nine of its locations in the Columbia and Greenville areas.
The U.S. Department of Labor said an investigation found the franchisee “allowed 14- and 15-year-old employees to work more than three hours on a school day, past 7 p.m. on school nights, and past 9 p.m. after Labor Day, all in violation of child labor hours of work regulations in the Fair Labor Standards Act.”
In response to a request for comment, Arby’s told McClatchy News in an email that it doesn’t “comment on any litigation involving our franchisees.” Newberry Restaurant Group didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Jan. 4.
Federal officials said an investigation into allegations at an Arby’s in Laurens led them to take a closer look at other restaurants under the same management. The labor department reported that the franchisee had 65 minors working past the time limits that the federal government allows.
“The department assessed $47,710 in penalties to address the child labor violations at the employer’s locations in Columbia, Greenville, Irmo, Laurens, Newberry, Orangeburg, Piedmont, Seneca and Walhala,” the federal agency wrote Jan. 3 in a news release.
The investigation — which took place between May 2020 and May 2022 — was part of an effort that led the labor department’s Wage and Hour Division to find almost 200 child labor violations across the Southeast, officials said.
“Restaurant employers who employ minor-aged workers must understand and comply with child labor laws concerning hours and hazardous occupations,” Jamie Benefiel, Wage and Hour Division district director in Columbia, said in the news release.
This story was originally published January 4, 2023 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Teen Arby’s employees worked too many hours, feds say. Now SC franchisee faces fine."
