40 Wendy's and Fazoli's franchises in Wisconsin violated child labor laws, a federal investigation found

A Wendy's and Fazoli's franchisee violated child labor requirements at 40 fast-food restaurants in Wisconsin, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.

Manna Inc., a franchisee of Wendy's and Fazoli's restaurants, allowed 14- and 15-year-old employees to work outside of legally approved hours and for more hours than approved by law, the Department of Labor said.

Manna violated child labor requirements at 99 Wendy's and Fazoli's restaurants it runs in nine states, the investigation said.

The investigation found 466 minors whose work violated these rules in Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee and Wisconsin. More than one-third of those minors were working in a Wisconsin franchise.

Five Fazoli's franchises and 35 Wendy's locations in Wisconsin were found to have violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. Nine of the Wendy's locations are in Milwaukee.

The Fair Labor Standards Act bars minors from working before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on school nights, working more than three hours on a school day or more than eight hours on a nonschool day.

Manna, based in Louisville, Kentucky, will pay a civil penalty of $157,114 for the violations, the Department of Labor announced Friday.

“Child labor laws exist to ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health and well-being or educational opportunities,” Wage and Hour Division District Director Karen Garnett-Civils said in a news release. “We encourage all employers to review their employment obligations and to contact the Wage and Hour Division for compliance assistance.”

Sarah Hauer can be reached at shauer@journalsentinel.com or on Instagram @HauerSarah and Twitter @SarahHauer. Subscribe to her weekly newsletter Be MKE at jsonline.com/bemke.