Posted by Dongsheng Xu.
According to an article published on Fox News on September 15th: McDonald’s franchises in Idaho have been punished in 11 locations for violating the child labor law.
According to Labor department, the operator and owner of the franchisee: Darmody Enterprises L.T.D，violated the local labor law. According to the article: “Darmody allowed its employees, ages 14 and 15, to work shifts that lasted longer than three hours, or extended beyond 7 p.m. on school days. On non-school days, the franchisee allegedly allowed its workers who fit that age range to stay on the clock for more than eight hours. The alleged violations were made at locations in Meridian, Boise and Nampa.”
This incident reflects that some businessmen ignore the law for money, and the idea of money first is a very serious problem. It is very inhumane for them to hire children under the age of 16 to work continuously for 3 hours for short-term benefits. Facing the allegations by the Ministry of Labor, Darmody Enterprises L.T.D wrote in an email statement that they will compulsorily conduct training for employees in order to comply with laws and regulations. These will not change the fine he faces.
I think that companies and operators in all walks of life should always abide by child labor law. Because the work intensity of all walks of life in society is different, sometimes child labor cannot bear the work pressure, and they are overloaded every day, putting child labor in a painful situation, which is physically and psychologically devastating. Child labor law are beneficial to protect the lives and health of minors; to protect the right to education of minors and to promote the implementation of education; to improve the quality of minors and to contribute to the prosperity of all walks of life in society. This typical business behavior that does not comply with the law should be severely punished by the law, and McDonald’s should also strictly audit franchisees, and should not ignore this review, so as not to damage the company’s reputation.
Dongsheng Xu is an accounting major at the Stillman School of Business, Seton Hall University, Class of 2021.
Source: https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/idaho-mcdonalds-child-labor-law-violations