White's Bakery Fined For Violating Child Labor Laws

HINGHAM, MA — A South Shore bakery with locations in Hingham, Brockton and Mansfield was fined $25,000 for violating child labor laws, Attorney General Maura Healey said.

White's Pastry Shop Inc. and its owner David White were cited for scheduling employees under 18 to work too many hours in a given day and for scheduling them to work later than the law allows. The bakery was also cited for failing to obtain a work permit for all the minors the business employed at all three of its locations.

The Attorney General's office began investigating White's Bakery in connection with a separate investigation that resulted in a lawsuit against the business and two of its managers. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff, a former employee alleged he was subjected to discriminatory treatment based on race and disability. The company denied the allegations of discrimination.

According to state officials, the investigation revealed violations of teens working too late in the evening and too many hours per shift. The bakery was previously cited for child labor violations of the same nature in 2018.

Under Massachusetts child labor laws, children under cannot work more than nine hours in a day or 48 hours in a week. Children who are 14 or 15 years cannot work past 7 p.m., and 16 and 17-year-olds cannot work past 10 p.m. on a night before school or past midnight otherwise.

Employers are also required to have work permits for all employees under 18.

The annual Labor Day Report from the Attorney General's office revealed that in fiscal year 2020, $3.4 million was collected in violations of child labor laws. Restaurants with violations included Dunkin', Qdoba, Wendy's and Chipotle.