A popular bakery’s labor bill now includes the wages it failed to pay and penalties for putting children to work illegally. Federal investigators found a 13-year-old employee, overnight shifts for a 15-year-old and overtime errors across three San Antonio locations. The company has paid a combined $45,000.
The total combines worker money and government penalties
Back wages repay employees; civil money penalties punish violations and go to the government. Treating the entire amount as a worker payout would overstate what affected employees received.
The Labor Department’s August 4 findings say La Panadería Bakery & Café operators failed to pay one employee for two overnight shifts and failed to combine hours worked at different locations when calculating overtime. The agency also found a 13-year-old on the payroll and a 15-year-old scheduled overnight. Of the roughly $45,000 total, $25,706 consists of child-labor civil penalties.
Combining hours is critical when locations share ownership. Moving a worker between stores does not restart the federal 40-hour clock if the businesses count as the same employer.
Restaurant schedules do not erase federal hour limits
Federal child-labor rules restrict when younger teenagers may work and the jobs they may perform. School nights, late closing shifts and hazardous equipment create separate concerns. A parent’s permission does not waive those protections…