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Business receives fines after violating law

Date: 12/5/2012

By Carley Dangona

carley@thereminder.com

WEST SPRINGFIELD — MHC Services LLC, a West Springfield-based restaurant management company, was fined $50,000 earlier this month for multiple violations of the Commonwealth's Child Labor Laws at several of its Burger King franchises.

Reminder Publications has learned that a total of 121 infractions occurred from May 2009 to October 2011, related to the restrictions of duration and time of day that minors are allowed to work. The incidents occurred at all seven of the company's Western Massachusetts locations in Ludlow, Westfield, Springfield, West Springfield, Greenfield, North Adams and Holyoke locations.

According to the laws, minors ages 14 and 15 are prohibited from working more than eight hours a day, and are not allowed to work past 7 p.m. during the school year and 9 p.m. in the summer.

Workers ages 16 and 17 are prohibited from working more than nine hours a day, cannot work past 10 p.m. on school nights, or past midnight [restaurants and racetracks] on nights not followed by a school day.

According to Attorney General Martha Coakley's office, the investigation was prompted by a complaint received in September of 2011 that alleged the company was not adhering to the standards.

Calls to the company were not returned.