Dunkin, McDonald's and Subway franchise owners in Massachusetts fined for alleged child labor law violations

Attorney General Andrea Campbell is citing the owner of more than 80 Dunkin' franchises in Massachusetts, as well as companies that operate McDonald's and Subway locations in the state, for alleged child labor law violations.

Cafua Management Company, which operates the Dunkin stores, was fined $140,000 as part of a settlement agreement with Campbell's office. The attorney general says that between 2020 and 2023, Cafua did not get work permits for employing minors, allowed them to work during legally prohibited hours, and had 16 and 17-year-old employees working for more than nine hours a day. Minors were also working without an immediate adult supervisor after 8 p.m., Campbell said.

Cafua runs Dunkin locations in Billerica, Burlington, Charlestown, Chelmsford, Chicopee, Danvers, Dracut, Fall River, Grafton, Great Barrington, Lawrence, Lee, Lowell, Medford, Methuen, Millbury, North Andover, Peabody, Pittsfield, Salisbury, Saugus, Somerville, Stoneham, Tyngsboro, Westboro, Westford and Worcester.

The McDonald's operator, the Brewster Company, was fined nearly $64,000 for similar violations between 2021 and 2024, Campbell said. Brewster manages eight McDonald's in Everett, Hanover, Malden, Norwell, Quincy, Revere, Weymouth and Woburn. 

Campbell said the Subway franchise operator, Knight Food Service, also didn't obtain work permits for minors, had them work more than nine hours a day, employed minors to work without an adult supervisor after 8 p.m., and failed to provide meal breaks for minors working more than six hours a day. The company was issued a penalty of more than $22,000 for child labor violations found in Brockton, the attorney general said.

In the past few years, several other Dunkin' franchise owners have been cited by the state for violating child labor laws. One had more than 1,200 child labor law violations at Massachusetts stores. Another allowed young workers to use a "dangerous oven."   

"Our child labor laws exist to protect young workers and prioritize their safety and education as they learn new skills, earn income, and contribute to their communities," Campbell said in a statement. "My office will continue to enforce these laws to empower our youth and remind employers that Massachusetts is serious about protecting its workforce."