Popeyes has shut down a store in California after its teenage employes filed complaints accusing the company breaking labor laws by asking them to work late shifts and long hours.
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Protestors gathered around the Oakland store on Thursday after workers started a strike over the complaints of minors being asked to skip school and work past 11 p.m. as reported by Yahoo! News.Johnmara Romero,17, worked as a cashier and said she had poor school performance due to her work schedule. She noted there was one instance where a manager called her to come in at 12 p.m. although school ended after 2:30 p.m., leading to skip school because the store was short staffed.
“One time I worked until 11p.m. on a school night, and I was late for school the next morning, because I overslept. One time they called me into work at noon on a school day, even though school goes until 2:30 pm, because they were short-staffed, so I skipped school that day.”
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Romero said she felt like she was unable to finish high school if she continued to work for Popeyes and she didn’t like falling behind in her schoool work. Popeyes has closed the store following the compaints and an investigation was launched.
What are the child labor laws in California?
Child labor laws in California are designed to protect the health, safety, and education of minors. These laws limit the number of hours that minors can work, the types of jobs that they can do, and the times of day that they can work.
The minimum age to work in California is 14 years old. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Minors who are 12 or 13 years old can work in certain non-agricultural jobs, such as delivering newspapers or babysitting. Minors who are 14 or 15 years old can work in a wider range of jobs, but they are still limited to certain hours and days.Minors who are 16 or 17 years old have more freedom to work, but they are still subject to some restrictions. For example, they cannot work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week. They also cannot work during school hours or on school nights.
Employers who violate the child labor laws in California can be fined up to $10,000 per violation. Parents who allow their children to work in violation of the law can also be fined.
This is not the first time a restaurant was closed due to violating child labor laws. In Kentucky, two children under the age of 16 were found working late shifts at the restaurant. Additionally, it was later discovered that over 300 children were found working at other locations throughout the state. The children were recieving little to no pay for their work.