High schoolers say California Popeye’s pressured them to skip classes and work long hours

In complaints filed with the California state labor department this Wednesday, two high school students in Oakland say the Popeye’s they worked at pressured them to skip classes or homework and to work long hours.

From The Washington Post:

The teens allege that their Popeyes franchise employer scheduled them to work after school from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and sometimes past 11 p.m., according to the complaint filed with California’s Department of Labor Standards Enforcement. Those hours are longer and later than legally allowed on school nights, in violation of state child labor laws.

Johmara Romero, a 17-year-old cashier, said that her employer called her into work in the middle of the school day, and the teen skipped school that day, according to the complaint, which was obtained by The Washington Post.

Labor laws in California say minors under 18 years can only work four hours during the school day and can’t work past 10 p.m.

Read the full report over at The Washington Post.

Image via Mike Mozart (Flickr)

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.