Ronald McDonald Beats His Children

Major corporations like McDonalds commit thousands of child labor law violations every year. They hide behind contractors and franchises and make billions, paying only tiny fines when caught.

Well-Known Corporations Make Systematic Use of Illegal Child Labor

• McDonald’s: In 2023 alone, McDonald’s was found to have 383 minors illegally working in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Texas. McDonald’s affiliates paid $289,572 in civil fines, less than $1,000 per child labor violation. In one instance, McDonald’s had a 10 year old working a deep fryer at 2AM.
• The meatpacking industry has been repeatedly caught using child labor around dangerous equipment on their “kill floors”. Perdue Farms and JBS settled child labor claims for $4 million apiece this month.
• In 2022, Hyundai was caught having 12 year-old children working heavy machinery in a metal stamping plant in Alabama.
• Other companies that recently paid child labor fines include Burger King, Popeye’s, and Smithfield.

Foxes in the Henhouse

• McDonald’s and other child abusing corporations have already met with the incoming Labor Secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
• They are lobbying Ms. Chavez-DeRemer to denounce pro-union legislation like the PRO Act. They describe unions as “job killing”.

What can you do?

• Boycott all of these businesses. Vote with your dollars!
• Support direct action on May 1 Strike Day! One of our demands is “Justice For All”, which includes criminal charges for these corporate child abusers.

There is no excuse for child abuse. Boycott McDonald’s!

Sources

• dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250113
• abcnews.go.com/US/minors-found-working-mcdonalds-franchisees-labor-department/story?id=99053558
• msn.com/en-us/money/human-resources/mcdonald-s-wendy-s-among-brands-that-met-with-trump-labor-pick/ar-AA1xcYoY
• wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Alabama_child_labor_allegations