Shake Shack Pays Penalties for Violating Child Labor Laws at MA Locations Including Dedham's Legacy Place

On October 22nd, Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Andrea Joy Campbell announced that Shake Shack, a national restaurant chain with Massachusetts locations in Dedham's Legacy Place and in Chestnut Hill, has agreed to pay penalties for violations of child labor laws which impacted over 200 employees. 

Half of a $244,500 settlement will be paid as penalties and the other half will go to a state fund for enforcement and education of state employment laws, including improving youth employment opportunities, says the AG's office (AGO).

According to the AGO, it began to investigate after receiving a complaint that minors at the Woburn Shake Shack were required to work past legally restricted working hours. The AGO  notes that Shake Shack "fully cooperated" in the investigation that ultimately found child labor law violations at the chain's locations in Dedham, Chestnut Hill, Watertown, Cambridge, Boston, Somerville, Woburn, Hingham, Burlington, Everett, and Andover.

"[B]etween January 2022 and December 2022, Shake Shack failed to obtain valid work permits prior to employing minors and scheduled minors for work during legally prohibited hours and in excess of the state's 48 hour per week limit," states the AG's office in its press release.

Massachusetts’ child labor laws impose certain requirements related to minors in the workplace, including limitations on their hours and types of jobs. State law also requires employers to obtain a Youth Employment Permit for all workers under the age of 18. 

According to the AGO, it entered a settlement with Shake Shack in 2019 for similar violations of the state’s child labor laws. In that case, the AGO found the company had failed to obtain youth work permits and employed minors during legally prohibited hours. As part of that settlement, the AGO issued $90,000 in penalties against the company.

The current case was handled by Assistant Attorney General Amy Goyer and Investigator Kimberly Lampereur, both of the AGO’s Fair Labor Division, which is tasked with enforcing the state’s child labor, wage and hour, and other employment laws.

“Our child labor laws protect vulnerable young people as they embark on jobs to learn skills, give back to their communities, and earn their own money," said AG Campbell. “I appreciate Shake Shack’s willingness to work with my Office to remediate these issues, and I am grateful that they will make a significant payment towards improving youth employment opportunities in the Commonwealth.”

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