9 Burger Kings in South Carolina broke child-labor laws by letting 14 and 15-year-olds work for too long, Department of Labor says

• Nine Burger King franchise restaurants in South Carolina have violated child-labor laws, the DoL says.
• They let 14 and 15-year-olds work later shifts and longer hours than the legal limits, per the DoL.

Nine Burger King restaurants in South Carolina operated by a franchisee have violated child-labor laws, the Department of Labor says.

The restaurants in Columbia, operated by Applegreen USA Central Services, allowed 26 employees aged 14 and 15 to work more than three hours on a school day, in violation of child-labor laws under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the DOL said Thursday.

Under the FLSA, 14 and 15-year-olds are allowed to work up to three hours on school days, and up to eight hours on non-school days.

The company also breached a law that prevents minors from working past 7 p.m. in non-summer months, according to the DOL.

The franchisee has had to pay $17,966 in civil money penalties, the DOL said. Applegreen and Burger King did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside of regular working hours.

Applegreen is an Irish forecourt retailer with more than 100 sites in the US. It operates gas stations under brands including BP, Shell, Exxon, and Mobil as well as some Pizza Hut and Subway restaurants and 7-Eleven stores.

Applegreen and the DOL's Wage and Hour Division have also agreed a set of measures to ensure the company complies with the FLSA, including giving training to new managers on the employment of minors and ensuring all workers under the age of 16 have a system to report child-labor law violations.