Popeye closed the store, claiming teenage employees were asked to skip school and work late on weekdays.

• A group of teenage employees at Popeye’s in Oakland, Calif., filed a complaint with the state labor department.

• One former employee said he was asked to work the weekday shift and had to miss school.

• Popeyes has closed franchise-operated stores and launched an investigation into the allegations on Thursday.

A California Popeyes restaurant was shut down by the company after a teenage employee complained of violating state child labor laws by working long hours and working late shifts.

on thursday Protesters gathered outside the Oakland store Workers went on strike over complaints that underage workers were absent from school for shifts and asked to work past 11 p.m., The Washington Post reported.

california labor law stipulates that no one under the age of 18 is allowed to work more than 4 hours on a school day and no more than 11 p.m.

At the protest, cashier Jomala Romero, 17, shared her experience on the ground, blaming her poor performance in school on a strict work schedule.

“Once I worked until 11pm on a school night, overslept and was late for school the next morning,” Romero wrote. Statement by the Los Angeles Times. “Once, I was called to work at noon on a school day when school was open until 2:30 pm.

Romero said he eventually questioned whether he could finish high school while working.

She told the Los Angeles Times: “I started falling behind. I wasn’t getting enough sleep and I was getting irritable. I don’t like being late in school. I thought my grades would get me through.”

Following the allegations, Popeyes closed its stores and launched an investigation into complaints filed with the California Department of Labor.

Popeyes did not immediately respond to an insider’s request for comment outside of normal business hours, but a representative told The Washington Post: If any of these are proven to be true, we will take action against them.” franchisee. “

Other fast-food chains have also violated child labor laws in recent months. McDonald’s locations in Kentucky and Pennsylvania He was investigated by the Ministry of Labor on suspicion of employing workers as young as 10 years old.

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