Cookies are baked at Crumbl Cookies in Lehi on Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. The Department of Ju
SALT LAKE CITY — A federal investigation that began in Utah and stretched into other states has found that operators of Crumbl Cookies violated child labor laws.
The U.S. Department of Labor said in a press release that they found 46-minor aged workers in Utah, California, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Washington.
The Utah franchise locations were in Bountiful, Centerville, Layton, and Ogden.
“Violations ranged from employing some minor-aged employees to work longer and later than the time the law allows, to assigning others to operate potentially dangerous ovens and machinery.
Crumbl locations in Bountiful and San Ramon, California topped the violation list with each of them employing nine minors according to federal investigators.
“Employers must ensure that part-time employment does not jeopardize the safety or education of young workers,” said Wage and Hour Division Regional Administrator Betty Campbell in a press release.
“It is the responsibility of every employer who hires minor workers to understand child labor laws, and comply with them or potentially face costly consequences.”
In this case, costs to the franchisees total nearly $58,000 in penalties.
Crumbl sent the following statement on Tuesday afternoon:
At Crumbl, we are committed to maintaining a safe and welcoming work environment for all of our franchisees and their employees. We take any violation of federal labor laws very seriously. We were deeply disappointed to learn that a small number of our franchised locations were found to be in violation of these laws.
We are actively working to understand what has occurred at these specific store locations and will take appropriate action to ensure that all of our franchisees are fully compliant with the law. We apologize to any of our franchisees’ employees who may have been affected by this situation and want to assure the public that we are committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and compliance at every Crumbl location.”
Several national rules apply to 14- and 15- year old workers. They cannot work more than 9 hours per day, or exceed 40 hours per workweek.
The law also states that employers cannot allow these workers to work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on any day, except during the summer when nighttime work hours are extended to 9 p.m.
This story will be updated.