- Chipotle is paying more than $300,000 to settle allegations of child labor in Washington, D.C.
- D.C. alleges Chipotle let minors work over 48 hours a week and more than six straight days a week.
- Chipotle denies the allegations, but will adopt policies to comply with child labor laws as part of a settlement.
Chipotle is paying more than $300,000 to Washington, D.C., to settle allegations that it violated the district’s child labor laws by failing to abide by legal limits for the number of hours minors are allowed to work.
D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced Monday that Chipotle will pay $322,400 and implement policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the child labor laws in the district, where the company operates 20 restaurants.
“We applaud young people who take the initiative to work in addition to going to school,” Schwalb said in a press release. “But the law limits the hours they can work to ensure they are healthy, well-rested, and able to fulfill their responsibilities as students and to their families.”
Schwalb’s office began the investigation in May 2022 after seeing reports alleging Chipotle violated child labor laws in other jurisdictions, according to the release. The investigation identified more than 800 potential violations of the district’s child labor laws dating back to April 2020.
The district alleges that Chipotle violated D.C.’s child labor laws by letting minors work past 10 p.m., letting them work more than 8 hours a day, letting them more than 48 hours a week, and letting them work more than 6 consecutive days a week, according to the settlement.
Chipotle denies the allegations.
In a statement, Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer, said: “We are committed to ensuring that our restaurants are in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations and we believe that in hiring workers beginning at age 16, we can provide younger employees with valuable experiences and an opportunity for advancement. We have reached a settlement with the Washington, D.C. Office of the Attorney General for the events dating back to 2020, and have implemented an enhanced labor scheduling program in our restaurants, creating a more efficient, consistent and compliant environment.”
Chipotle was previously accused of child labor law violations in Massachusetts and New Jersey.
In 2020, the company was cited $1.37 million in restitution and penalties for more than 13,000 alleged violations of child labor law and other wage and hour laws in Massachusetts.
In 2022, Chipotle agreed to pay $7.75 million after a 2020 New Jersey Department of Labor audit identified more than 30,000 alleged violations affecting minors working at the company’s restaurants across the state.
Earlier this year, Chipotle agreed to pay $240,000 to former employees of a location in Augusta, Maine, after the National Labor Relations Board found that the company violated labor laws when it closed the store after workers there tried to unionize.
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