A Florida teen’s burned hand was among a national pizza chain’s child labor violations
The hours and work assigned 15-year-olds — and the burned hand one of them suffered — led to a $7,950 civil penalty for the owner of a Tampa-area Marco’s Pizza franchise, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday.
American Pizza Empire, which state records say is run by Benjamin Finley and Terry Burkholder, owns the Marco’s at 5918 Providence Rd. in the Riverview section, where the violations occurred. A message left for management at that franchise hasn’t been returned.
READ MORE: Child labor violations at a Tampa Chick-fil-A
Labor said Wage and Hour Division investigators found that the Marco’s location violate the child labor section of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by:
▪ Allowing three 15-year-olds to work past 7 p.m. or longer than three hours on a school day between Labor Day and June 1 and work more than 18 hours a week during the school year.
▪ Having one of the 15-year-olds operate a “power-driving bakery machine to stretch and flatten pizza dough.” This is a “hazardous occupiation” prohibited for minors by FLSA. That 15-year-old sustained a burn on a hand while baking, “which led to an additional violation.”
“Employers must understand child labor rules and regulations when they decide to hire minor-aged workers. Learning about hazardous occupations for minors after an incident occurs can lead to serious and costly consequences,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Nicolas Ratmiroff. “We encourage employers to use our Youthrules.gov website or to contact the Wage and Hour Division to learn how to keep these young workers safe on the job.”
In December, Roshan Operations, a South Carolina company that also does business in Florida, paid $101,027 in civil money penalties after various child labor violations at five Marco’s locations in Charleston, South Carolina. Roshan also committed overtime pay violations and paid $5,425 in back wages for 26 workers, $208.65 per employee.
The Wage and Hour complaint section of Labor’s website contains information on how to file a complaint if you believe your employer has violated FLSA. Miami’s Wage and Hour Division office can be reached at 305-598-6607. The national helpline is 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).
No matter the immigration or citizenship status of workers, they can speak with the department, which says it can handle calls in more than 200 languages.
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 4:36 PM.
