It's been illegal to pay U.S. workers with scrip—company credit—since 1938. This didn't stop a Chick-fil-A in Hendersonville, North Carolina, from doing so under the pretense that those being paid in food vouchers were "volunteers." The Jedi mind trick did not work on the U.S. Department of Labor, which fined the franchisee $6,685.
The agency also found that three teenagers under the age of 18 were operating, loading and unloading a trash compactor, violating rules that prohibit minors from performing hazardous jobs.
"Child labor laws ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health, well-being or educational opportunities," Richard Blaylock, the DOL's wage and hour division district director in Raleigh, North Carolina, stated in a news release. In addition, employers are responsible to pay workers for all of the hours worked and the payment must be made in cash or legal tender."
This seems to be a problem with Chick-fil-A franchisees: one in Tampa, Florida, was recently fined $12,478 for child labor abuses.
