South Carolina Burger Kings Fined, Agree to Changes Over Child Labor Violations

The owner of nine Burger King franchises in South Carolina has agreed to improve working conditions for minors employed at the restaurants, resolving an action brought by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The department announced Thursday that Applegreen USA Central Services, operating as Burger King in the Columbia area, has entered into a compliance agreement. Investigators had determined that 26 workers, ages 14 and 15, had worked more than three hours on a school day and past 7 p.m. on school nights. The company had violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and was fined almost $18,000.

“What began as an investigation to determine compliance with labor standards turned into an opportunity for this business owner to make practical changes to help their workers and avoid costly violations at dozens of restaurant locations,” said the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division District Director Jamie Benefiel. “We encourage other employers to use this agreement as a roadmap and to contact us for assistance.”

Applegreen USA, which has more than 120 stores in the U.S., including BP, Pitt Stop, 7-Eleven, Shell, Sunoco and Smart gas stations, as well as Pizza Huts and DeLucas and Subway restaurants, also agreed to train managers and employees on compliance and reporting of violations.

Child-labor violations are not uncommon in the United States. The Labor Department said that in 2020 and 2021, it had investigated problems at more than 190 food-service locales in the Southeast, resulting in $1 million in fines. Incidents may be on the rise as employers, faced with labor shortages, employ younger workers and strive to stay competitive.