Remember when Chipotle suffered a string of embarrassing food poisoning incidents and nearly went under due to the bad publicity? Since then, they’ve hired a new CEO and slimmed down their menu, and things have steadily been looking up. Until now…
Who’s making your Burrito?
Chioptle has been fined (US)$1.3 million in connection with 13,253 child labor violations in more than 50 Massachusetts locations. State charged that the chain has kids under the age of 18 working later than midnight and more than 48 hours a week, both infractions of state labour laws. It’s the biggest child labour penalty ever issued by the state.
“Chipotle is a major national restaurant chain that employs thousands of young people across the country and it has a duty to ensure minors are safe working in its restaurants,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement to The Associated Press. “We hope these citations send a message to other fast food chains and restaurants that they cannot violate our child labor laws and put young people at risk.”
The kids complained
An investigation was started after state officials learned of the violations from young Chipotle employees. Underage Chipotle workers said the hours were so long and nights so late that their school work was suffering.
I’d really like to know what the parents have to say about this exploitative situation. They must have known their kids were working late and long hours.
And the penalties keep piling up
In addition to the (US)$1.3 million fine, Chipotle is being forced to pay more than half a million dollars in reparations for violations in which the chain apparently denied employees paid sick time for some illnesses. And on top of that, Chioptle is making what’s described as a ‘voluntary’ contribution of (US)$500,000 to a state youth worker fund designed top educate kids and bosses about employee rights and help fund enforcement of Massachusetts’ Child labour laws.
Other Fast Food chains take note!
Hiring underage teens to work at Fast Food outlets has been a fact of life in the business forever. It’s okay in some jurisdictions, under certain conditions. Even McDonald’s proudly proclaims that it’s given ‘their first real job’ to more kids than any other employer. And McD’s also likes to boast that it’s graduates have gone on to great things thanks to having a solid work ethic and a sense of responsibility ingrained in them through their restaurant jobs. Well, that’s the sunny side of the situation.
I just wonder how many other restaurant chains have been playing fast and loose with the child labour laws, and whether they’ll now pull up their socks (as my mom loves to say) and ‘get straight’ (as I love to say) with the regulations.
~ Maggie J.