On August 28, TikToker @ayoshawtty posted a hilariously disconcerting video of children working the kitchen of Utah-based cookie company Crumbl Cookies. The TikTok went viral but the franchise did nothing to address the video at the time. Now, Crumbl Cookies is being forced to pay $58,000 in fines for 11 child labor law violations across six different states (California, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington).


A federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division revealed the extent of the cookie company’s exploitation. According to reports, 46 workers were affected by the violations. Crumbl is guilty of scheduling unlawfully long working hours to minors, some as young as 14 and 15, and assigning them to duties that required operating “potentially dangerous ovens and heavy machinery.”


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Dept. of Labor Wage and Hour Division Regional Administrator Betty Campbell addressed the matter, saying, “Employers must ensure that part-time employment does not jeopardize the safety or education of young workers. 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.”




Crumbl issued a statement to Fox News in which they asserted the following: “At Crumbl, we are committed to maintaining 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.

 

We are actively working to understand what has occurred at these specific store locations and will take appropriate action to ensure that all of our franchisees are fully compliant with the law. We apologize to any of our franchisees’ employees who may have been affected by this situation and want to assure the public that we are committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and compliance at every Crumbl location.”


It’s not known whether the TikTok video was what sparked the investigation.