According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a Blaze Pizza franchisee with 10 locations in Nevada was fined $277,414 for breaking rules against child labor.
Federal investigators found that the company hired a lot of kids to do “dangerous tasks” and work longer hours than they were allowed to on school days.
According to a news statement from the Department of Labor, its Wage and Hour Division found that Bryz Guyz Inc. in Henderson, Nevada, hired 23 kids between the ages of 15 and 17 to run industrial pizza dough mixers.
The review also found that the employer let five 15-year-olds work more than three hours on school days, and some of them worked until 10:30 p.m. Federal rule says that 14- and 15-year-olds can’t work more than three hours on school days. From the day after Labor Day until May 31, they also can’t work after 7 p.m.
Blaze Pizza told USA TODAY in an email that the franchisee provided full cooperation with the investigation and has been following all state and federal labor rules since May 2023.
A news release from the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division in Las Vegas said, “Learning new skills in the workplace is an important part of growing up, but we must protect children and make sure their first jobs are safe and don’t get in the way of their education or well-being.”
“The Fair Labor Standards Act lets kids have these helpful work experiences and makes sure that when they do, they are working in a way that protects their health, safety, and educational opportunities,” Ramos said.
The Department of Labor says that Blaze Pizza has more than 340 franchise sites in 38 states and six countries. The company is based in Pasadena, California.
