IRON RIVER — Diners at the Pizza Parlor will soon see teenage workers wearing different colored shirts or name tags.
It’s to quickly remind managers of the ages of young employees to avoid assigning them to dangerous duties or employing them to work longer or later than federal child labor laws permit.
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The change in attire is included as part of consent findings executed by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Administrative Law Judges on Nov. 4 to resolve alleged child labor violations by Ironbluebear Inc., operator of Pizza Parlor. The business was cited by investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division. The business agreed to the entry of the consent findings to resolve the investigation.
Investigators found Pizza Parlor and owner Michelle Drougas illegally employed 11 children, according to a news release.
The investigation found that six children were employed to operate and clean a meat grinder and seven children drove vehicles on public roads to deliver orders, both of which are prohibited by hazardous occupations orders under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
According to the Department of Labor website, 16-year-olds are not permitted to drive as part of their job and 17-year-olds are only permitted to drive for work during daylight hours under limited circumstances.
One child younger than 16 was employed to use an oven heated to between 500 and 900 degrees to help prepare and cook pizza. Children age 14 and 15 may be employed in food preparation and limited cooking tasks, but they may not perform any baking activities.
The parlor also assigned children to work in violation of federal limits on hours, investigators determined.
The consent findings require Ironbluebear and Drougas to pay nearly $100,000 in civil penalties. They have made an initial payment of $33,294 and will pay the balance in installments through Sept. 30, 2025.
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“This case sends a clear message: the Department of Labor will use all necessary resources to protect children from dangerous employment,” Christin Heri, regional solicitor in Chicago, said in a statement. “Every company employing minors has a responsibility to make sure children are not being employed illegally and that their safety and well-being are never jeopardized.”
Drougas did not promptly respond to the Telegram’s request for comment.
Pizza Parlor also agreed to:
- Apply stickers to alert employees under age 18 not to operate the equipment.
- Require all young workers to wear shirts or name tags color-coded to signify their age.
- Post and provide child labor and anti-retaliation fact sheets to each employee.
Trial attorney Rachel Murphy litigated this case on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor.
For more information on child labor laws, go to dol.gov.
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