McDonald's franchisee caught employing underage workers.

A McDonald's franchisee in Kentucky, Bauer Food LLC, has been found to have employed two 10-year-old children in violation of federal labor laws. The children were not paid and sometimes worked as late as 2 a.m., performing tasks prohibited for minor employees. The Department of Labor also found that Bauer Food LLC employed 24 minors under the age of 16 to work more than legally permitted hours, resulting in nearly $40,000 in penalties. The DOL has seen a 69% increase in children being employed illegally by companies since 2018.