Walmart to pay $7.8 million over child labor law violations at Pa. stores
State investigators found on average 65 violations per audit, when they looked into eight stores in Pennsylvania.
Walmart has agreed to pay $7.8 million after being found in violation of Pennsylvania’s child labor law across several locations. Violations include failing to provide minor workers with appropriate breaks and scheduling them for longer hours than legally permitted.
“Pennsylvania’s child labor laws exist to protect our kids, and employers have a responsibility to follow them,” Nancy Walker, secretary of the state’s Department of Labor and Industry, said in a statement about the settlement on Monday.
Walker added that state investigators “identified a pattern of violations at Walmart stores,” which led them to “look beyond those individual locations.”
“This settlement is the result of our team’s work to hold Walmart accountable across the commonwealth, and the future commitments we’ve secured will help prevent these violations from happening again,” she said.
“We’re pleased to have resolved this matter,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement shared via email. “We have processes in place to support compliance with applicable laws, including the paperwork requirements, and we regularly review and improve them.”
According to the settlement, Walmart has paid the state $142,785 for violations during the audit. The settlement states that the company is to pay another $7,686,786.16.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office described the settlement as the “largest child labor enforcement action” ever in the state. The department has investigated over 2,200 cases related to child labor since Shapiro took office in 2023.
“Under Secretary Walker, L&I has stepped up its labor law enforcement work, leading to this landmark settlement in one of the largest child labor enforcement actions in the nation’s history,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Every employer in Pennsylvania should be on notice: We will not tolerate you taking advantage of our youngest workers.”
Which stores were found in violation?
The investigation began in February 2025 after the department heard about employees who were minors getting injured at Walmart stores. That led the department’s Bureau of Labor Law Compliance to look into eight Walmart locations in Pennsylvania where they carried out 10 audits.
Under the state’s labor law, minors under the age of 18 can be employed under certain conditions with parental or guardian approval.
The eight Walmart locations audited in Pennsylvania are:
20245 Route 19, Cranberry Township
1730 Lincoln Way, Chambersburg
2030 Fruitville Pike, Lancaster
500 Terry Rich Blvd., Saint Clair
2200 Greengate Centre Circle, Greensburg
50 Newberry Parkway, Etters
3461 Horizon Blvd., Trevose
400 Butler Commons, Butler
State investigators found on average 65 violations per audit at those stores. Those included Walmart failing to secure the proper work permits to employ minors and not notifying school districts when minors were hired or fired. Investigators also found Walmart didn’t provide these workers with the break times required by law, and it had them working more hours than is legally permitted in Pennsylvania.
Under the settlement, Walmart is required to have managers at all of its Pennsylvania stores take training on labor laws. The company also has to make information available to workers on their rights under the state’s Child Labor Act and supply records to the state on employment of minors at some stores.
The settlement money will go toward labor law education, enforcement, and compliance.
