Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has fined Burger King franchisee MHC Services $50,000 for multiple violations of the child labor laws.

MHC owns and operates seven Burger King Restaurants in western Massachusetts.

“Our child labor laws are designed to protect minors’ health and well-being by prohibiting their employment in certain jobs and limiting the hours they can work,” Coakley said.

In September 2011, the Attorney General’s Office received a complaint alleging child labor violations at one of MHC’s Burger King locations.

The AG’s Fair Labor Division conducted an audit of the company’s records and discovered that on numerous occasions between May 2009 and October 2011, MHC employed minors later than 10:00 p.m. on school nights and/or later than midnight on weekend nights.

The investigator also discovered numerous occasions wherein a minor worked more than the maximum number of daily work hours allowed under the Child Labor Laws.

The Massachusetts Child Labor Laws include restrictions on both the occupations in which minors may be employed, as well as the hours during which they may work.

Another important safeguard in the law makes it illegal for minors to work past 8:00 p.m. without adult supervision.
As part of the resolution, MHC has enacted several procedures to ensure future compliance with the Massachusetts wage and hour and child labor laws.

MCH also agreed to pay $50,000 in penalties to the Commonwealth.