More than 10 Crumbl Cookies franchises are facing nearly $60,000 in fines for violating child labor laws in six states, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Tuesday.
Federal investigators found children as young as 14 years old working more hours than permitted by law and in “hazardous or prohibited” positions for minors, such as operating "potentially dangerous ovens and machinery."
Under federal law, 14- and 15-year-old employees cannot work more than eight hours per day or exceed 40 hours per week, the Labor Department said. Employers are also prohibited from scheduling minors to work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m., except from June 1 through Labor Day during summer jobs when those hours are extended to 9 p.m. All employees under the age of 18 are prohibited from working jobs considered hazardous.
The violations affect 46 workers at some Crumbl Cookies franchisees in California, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Utah and Washington, according the Labor Department's statement.
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"Employers must ensure that part-time employment does not jeopardize the safety or education of young workers," said Betty Campbell, the agency's Wage and Hour Division regional administrator, in the statement. "It is the responsibility of every employer who hires minor workers to understand child labor laws, and comply with them or potentially face costly consequences."
In a statement to NBC affiliate KSL, Crumbl said it is committed to "a safe and welcoming work environment for all of our franchisees and their employees. We take any violation of federal labor laws very seriously. We were deeply disappointed to learn that a small number of our franchised locations were found to be in violation of these laws."
Earlier this year, Crumbl Cookies, which has more than 300 stores in 36 states, was embroiled in a cookie war with two smaller competitors, Crave and Dirty Dough, CNBC reported.
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Crumbl sued both cookie purveyors claiming both brands' "packaging, decor and presentation" are too similar to Crumbl's. Dirty Dough fired back with commercials mocking Crumbl and launched a billboard campaign in Utah, including one that read: "Cookies so good – we're being sued!"
Crave co-founder Trent English called Crumbl's accusations half-baked.
"Our branding is black and gold. [Crumbl's is] pink and black. Their logo is … a chef wearing a hat. Ours is two overlapping cookies," English said. "I don't really see any confusion at all. I think most people can tell us apart just fine."
