AG cites Burger King and Popeyes franchise operators across Massachusetts $2+ million for violating child labor laws, other worker rights

BOSTON—Today, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell stated that Northeast Foods LLC, a firm that runs dozens of Burger King franchise stores around Massachusetts, has been cited by her office for breaking several state employment regulations, including those pertaining to child labor. Restitution for overdue salaries and fines are included in the citations, which total about $2,029,754.

In addition, the AGO recently came to an agreement with Ashish Parikh and Amish Parikh, the owners of 19 Popeyes franchise stores in Massachusetts who are based in New Jersey. The settlement settles claims that the operators broke the Earned Sick Time Law and the state’s child labor rules. The AGO fined the Popeyes operators $212,516 in citations as part of the settlement, which also included penalties and restitution for affected employees.

According to AG Campbell, the purpose of our employment laws is to give our employees vital rights and safeguards. In order to safeguard and empower workers—including young people who give back to their communities and acquire new skills and experiences—my office will keep up its enforcement of these rules.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, the Burger King franchise operator violated Massachusetts wage and hour rules by failing to pay workers the minimum wage and on-time, and in certain cases, without paying workers any wages at all, between at least January 2022 and March 2023. Additionally, according to the AGO, the operator failed to keep proper employee payroll records, allow workers to accrue and use sick leave as required by law, and provide the AGO with certain requested paperwork, including payroll records.

Additionally, the AGO claims that the franchise operator scheduled kids for work during legally banned hours and beyond the state’s nine-hour daily limit for workers who are 16 and 17 years old, in violation of Massachusetts’ child labor regulations throughout the same time period.

After a Burger King employee complained about nonpayment of wages, the AGO started looking into the situation. According to the AGO’s investigation, the alleged infractions affected around 2,000 workers at Northeast Foods LLC-owned Burger King restaurants throughout Massachusetts.

Northeast Foods LLC was similarly cited by the AGO in 2017 and 2022 for many infractions of the state’s child labor rules at different Burger King sites. The corporation was also cited by the AGO in 2019 for neglecting to uphold a legally mandated earned sick leave policy at a Marlborough Burger King site.

In the context of the AGO’s settlement with the Popeyes franchise operators, the AGO claimed that the franchise operators scheduled minors for work during legally prohibited hours and beyond the state’s daily and weekly working hour limits, and that they failed to allow three employees to take sick leave as required by law.

The minimum wage, timely payments within six days of the end of a pay period, and payments for every time worked are among the obligations pertaining to employee pay and recordkeeping that are imposed under Massachusetts wage and hours legislation.

Employees can collect one hour of earned sick leave for every thirty hours worked under the Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Law, which gives them the ability to earn and spend up to 40 hours of job-protected sick leave annually.

Furthermore, Massachusetts’ child labor laws establish restrictions on juveniles working in the workplace, such as age-based limitations on the kinds of employment that are permitted and the hours that they can work. Minors 16 and 17 years old are prohibited from working for more than nine hours a day, six days a week, and 48 hours a week under the state’s child labor regulations. The AGO’s website has more details about the limitations on kids’ work hours. A fact sheet about preventing child labor exploitation has also been released by the AGO.

Assistant Attorney General Amy Goyer and Supervising Investigator Jennifer Pak of the AGO’s Fair Labor Division, which is responsible for upholding the state’s wage and hour, child labor, and other employment regulations, handled the AGO’s citations against the Burger King franchise.

Investigator Christina Proietti, also of the AGO’s Fair Labor Division, and Assistant Attorney General Drew Cahill handled the AGO’s settlement with the numerous Popeyes franchise operators.

AG Campbell announced the AGO’s annual Labor Day Report in September. The report emphasizes the Fair Labor Division’s efforts to safeguard workers over the previous fiscal year, including the assessment of almost $31.5 million in penalties and restitution for unpaid wages. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the AGO’s Healthy Summer Youth Jobs (HSYJ) Program, AG Campbell announced this past summer that the AGO’s Fair Labor Division had obtained over $4 million in fines and restitutions connected to child labor during her administration.

Massachusetts workers are encouraged to register a complaint with the AGO’s Fair Labor Division atmass.gov/ago/fld if they feel their rights have been violated at work. Workers can visit mass.gov/ago/fairlabor for material available in many languages or call the AGO’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 for additional information about the state’s employment regulations.

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