Federal investigators found violations at 11 Crumbl Cookies locations.
(Crumbl Cookies) Pictured is a cookie tray at Crumbl Cookies. The Lindon-based company has been fined by the US Department of Labor for violating child labor laws at several of its bakeries.
Franchise holders of a Utah-based cookie company face nearly $58,000 in fines after federal investigators say they found multiple locations violated child labor laws.
At 11 Crumbl Cookies locations, which began in Logan, investigators found children as young as 14 working excessive hours and in “dangerous or prohibited occupations” for minors, according to a statement Tuesday from the U.S. Department of Health. Work. This hazardous work, the statement said, included the use of ovens and other “potentially dangerous” machinery.
“It is the responsibility of every employer who hires underage workers to understand child labor laws and to comply with them or face costly consequences,” said Betty Campbell, Federal Administrator of the Division of Wages and hours, in a press release.
The violations come as Crumbl, with its iconic pink boxes and fan-favorite milk chocolate chips, battles for the top spot in Utah’s “cookie wars.” The company launched two lawsuits earlier this year, claiming two other small businesses in the state — Dirty Dough and Crave Cookies — infringed on its trademarks by copying Crumbl’s recipes, processes and packaging.
The heated battle full of sugar and spice involved Crumbl CEO Jason McGowan, who took to social media to publicly accuse Dirty Dough of stealing information from Crumbl’s database through of a former employee. Dirty Dough denied the allegations and launched an advertising campaign with billboards stating, “The cookies are so good we’re being sued!”
In a statement Tuesday responding to the child labor violations, Crumbl said it was “disappointed” to learn of the issues at its franchise locations and apologized to all injured employees.
“We are actively working to understand what happened at these specific stores and will take appropriate action to ensure that all of our franchisees fully comply with the law,” the company said.
The US Department of Labor reported finding violations at Crumbl franchises in six states. Of these, 46 teenage workers were affected. A ministry spokesperson said the fines are the responsibility of the franchisees, not the main company.
Most of the breaches occurred in Utah, where Crumbl began in 2017 and continues to house its main center of operations in Lindon. Four locations here – in Bountiful, Centerville, Layton and Ogden – have been listed for injuring 18 minors. The company has 28 total locations in the state.
The other violations were reported at three franchises in California, one in Minnesota, one in New Hampshire, one in Tennessee and one in Washington.
(U.S. Department of Labor) A list of Crumbl Cookies franchises that federal investigators believe violated child labor laws.
The Bountiful, Utah, and San Ramon, California sites each had the highest number of miners affected, with nine at both stores.
The total penalties assessed are $57,854 for the infractions, with fines varying by location depending on the severity of the issue.
Crumbl, according to investigators, mainly had children who worked too many hours. Federal law states that 14- and 15-year-olds cannot work more than eight hours a day or more than 40 hours a week, whether or not school is in session.
And they can’t work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. any day except June 1 through Labor Day, when students are usually on summer vacation and hours are extended to 9 p.m. for underage workers. Campbell said this is to ensure a child’s education is not affected by work.
Additionally, no one under the age of 18 may work in a position considered hazardous, which includes the use of ovens. In a cookie shop, this largely limits minors to working at the counter with customers or doing general janitorial work.
The company added in its statement Tuesday, “We apologize to all employees of our franchisees who may have been impacted by this situation and want to assure the public that we are committed to the highest standards of integrity and compliance. high in every Crumbl site. ”
Crumbl recently announced a partnership with the Utah Jazz, making it the basketball team’s official cookie. A spokesperson for Jazz declined to say whether child labor violations would affect this.
Crumbl operates over 600 sites in 47 states.
The company was also criticized two years ago, in December 2020, for hosting a large Christmas party for employees where no one was pictured wearing a mask, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and with increased restrictions for gatherings.
(Crumbl Cookies) Pictured is a display of Crumbl Cookies.
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