Brittany Bardman
Staff Writer
Chipotle was hit with a $1.3 million fine last week after young employees were found working over 48 hours per week and past midnight.
The violations occurred in Massachusetts, leading to the largest child labor penalty ever issued in the state. It raises questions about prioritizing the safety of minors in the fast food industry across the country.
Child labor was not the only issue, though. According to the New York Times, Chipotle was also cited for breaching sick-time rules and failing to make timely wage payments, although they did not admit to any of the violations in the settlement.
“[Child labor laws] are there because of the fact that during the industrial revolution people used child labor as a cheap substitute for adult labor,” said Anne Alexander, associate vice provost of Academic Affairs for Undergraduate Education.
She said prioritizing the safety of minors is “still the spirit.” Restricting occupations including manufacturing, the storing of explosives, mining and meat processing for children happened for a reason, she said.
“It’s dangerous work that needs to be paid well and performed by skilled operators.”
At Chipotle, the work was not physically dangerous, but Alexander said violations like theirs are the reason child labor laws exist. Chipotle was giving students “shifts that weren’t conducive to them doing well in school… that’s why we have the laws there in the first place; there has to be an opportunity for them to do well in school.”
The National Center for Education Statistics reports 43% of full-time undergraduate students were employed in 2017, compared to 81% of part-time undergraduates in the same year. College students and young people are trying to work and do well in school at the same time, and with breaches of the law, including Chipotle, that balance becomes more difficult.
The NCES’ statistics also show student retention rates and academic success are higher for those working on campus under 15 hours a week.
“If a student works more than 15-20 hours a week, that will impact their GPA in a negative way,” said Alexander. “There are limits.”
Having young people work can help prepare them for a career in the future and give them spending power, Alexander said, so “as long as people are making sure that they’re paying people fairly for the work they’re doing and abiding by the same labor laws, there’s no question you should be able to have those jobs.”
Young people taking those jobs supports the college town economy of Laramie, and builds a foundation for them to take their careers even higher.
“It is really important for people to get to know the expectations of being an employee,” Alexander said.
Young people who feel there may have been an oversight of occupational health and safety or other violations can make a report to the Wyoming Workforce Services.
“In college, you still don’t want companies trying to use a lack of training or awareness on the part of minors in order to pay less to get work,” said Alexander.
As the number of teenagers in the workforce steadily declines and the restaurant market becomes oversaturated, businesses find loopholes to keep employees and fill hours, especially in the fast food industry. Chipotle’s 13,000 plus violations from 2015 to 2019 speak to the national issue of understaffing. The settlement is also a reminder that although child labor in the U.S. has been substantially eliminated, it still exists in certain areas like the agriculture, garment and fast food industries.
Chipotle’s child labor case was one of the largest; but Qdoba, Wendys, McDonalds and Burger King have also had to pay fines for breaching child-labor rules. Chipotle is known for encouraging young people to gain work experience there, and other fast food restaurants like Qdoba and McDonalds here in Laramie commonly employ college students earning a degree while working.
Working remains a necessary responsibility for many undergraduates and young people, but the overall number of teenagers in the workforce is slowly declining. In 2017, the percentage of full-time undergraduates who were employed was 43%, a 7% decrease from the amount of full-time undergraduates employed in 2005 (50%).
Finding a balance for young people between earning spending power and gaining valuable life lessons through work, and young people prioritizing school life and not being overworked is central to the success of Laramie’s college-town environment.
