The State of Massachusetts has fined Chipotle Mexican Grill
The fine, totaling $1.37 million, is the end-result of an investigation by State Attorney General Maura Healey after the state received a complaint from a concerned parent. The parent, in their complaint, stated that their (at the time) 16-year old teen had been working shifts well past midnight, which is a violation of Massachusetts child labor laws. During the course of the investigation, Healey's office found 13,253 violations of state labor laws.
According to Massachusetts labor laws, minors are prohibited from working longer than 9 hours a day and are also prohibited from working any longer than 48 hours a week. For workers 15 and younger, the law stipulates they can work no later than 7 p.m., while 16 and 17-year-old workers cannot work past 10 p.m. The probe found that Chipotle had disregarded these laws and had minor workers on the clock well past midnight and worked them over 48 hours a week, the probe also found that many minor workers lacked the permits required by the state and that Chipotle did not keep accurate records.
Chipotle has not commented on the allegations or the fine but has settled with the state for $2 million, including the fine and any additional penalties. Chipotle will also voluntarily pay $500,000 towards a state fund for training and workforce development. State Attorney General Healy, however, issued a statement, saying, "Chipotle is a major national restaurant chain that employs thousands of young people across the country and it has a duty to ensure minors are safe working in its restaurants. We hope these citations send a message to other fast food chains and restaurants that they cannot violate our child labor laws and put young people at risk."
Despite its popularity, Chipotle is no stranger to bad press. Over the last few years, the fast-casual chain has had issues with food-borne illnesses and was, coincidentally, forced to close a Massachusetts store in 2016 due to such an outbreak.
- https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/chipotle-fined-1-37m-over-thousands-of-child-labor-abuses
- https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/chipotle-lawsuit-child-labor-law-violations
- https://nypost.com/2020/01/28/chipotle-fined-1-3-million-for-thousands-of-child-labor-violations/
- https://www.pws.io/more-headaches-for-chipotle