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Metro Detroit Little Caesars franchisee fined $26K for violating child labor laws

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(CBS DETROIT) — A Farmington Hills Little Caesars was fined $26,341 for violating child labor laws, the U.S. Department of Labor announced. 

An investigation by the Department of Labor's Hours and Wages Division found that the store's owner, JMP Pizza Inc., allowed one child under the age of 16 to use an oven that was heated between 500 and 900 degrees Fahrenheit to cook pizza and to operate a dough mixer. Federal law does not allow 14- and 15-year-olds to perform baking tasks and limits them to only certain cooking tasks. 

Investigators also reportedly found that JMP Pizza Inc. allowed three children to work longer and later hours than laws permit. 

Federal labor laws state that kids between 14 and 15 years old cannot work later than 7 p.m. between Labor Day and Memorial Day or after 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. Children under 16 cannot work more than three hours on a school day, including on Fridays, and no more than 18 hours during the school year. 

During the summer months, children 14 and 15 years old cannot work more than eight hours a day or more than 40 hours a week. 

"Learning new skills in the workforce is an important part of growing up – but we must protect children and ensure their first jobs are safe jobs and do not interfere with their education or well-being," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Timolin Mitchell in a news release. "The Fair Labor Standards Act allows for safe work experiences but restricts the employment of young workers in certain jobs and during certain hours, and provides for penalties when employers do not follow the law." 

The investigation found that JMP Pizza Inc. employed five children illegally. 

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