Global Courant 2023-05-20 21:15:00
The Oakland location was closed by Popeyes on Thursday.Scott Olson/Getty Images
Teen workers at a Popeyes in Oakland, California filed complaints with the state labor department.
A former employee said she had to skip school after being asked to work a weekday shift.
Popeyes closed the franchisee-operated store and opened an investigation into the claims on Thursday.
A California Popeyes restaurant has been closed by the company after teenage employees filed complaints accusing the outlet of violating state child labor laws with long hours and late shifts.
On Thursday, protesters gathered outside the Oakland store when workers went on strike after complaints that underage workers were being asked to skip school for shifts and work past 11 p.m., The Washington Post reported.
California Labor Laws state that persons under the age of 18 may not work more than four hours on a school day, nor may they work after 11 p.m.
At the protest, cashier Johmara Romero, 17, spoke of her own experience at the location and blamed her poor school performance on a demanding work schedule.
“One time I worked until 11 p.m. on a school night and I was late for school the next morning because I overslept,” Romero wrote in a statement reported by the Los Angeles Times. “One time they called me to work at 12:00 on a school day, even though school goes until 2:30, because they were short on staff, so I skipped school that day.”
Eventually, Romero said, she began to doubt she would be able to finish high school while working.
She told the LA Times, “I started falling behind. I wouldn’t be able to get enough sleep. I’d get frustrated. I don’t like falling behind in school. I’d wonder if I’d graduate because of my grades. “
Following the claims, Popeyes closed shop and opened an investigation into the complaints filed with the California Labor Department.
Popeyes did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment outside of normal working hours, but a representative told The Washington Post: “We will not tolerate any violation of labor laws and if any of these allegations prove true, we will take action on them. franchisee.”
Other fast food chains have also come into violation of child labor laws in recent months. McDonald’s locations in Kentucky and Pennsylvania were investigated by the Department of Labor for allegedly having employees as young as 10 years old.
Read the original article Business Insider
