Walmart To Pay Millions Over PA Child Labor Law Violations

PENNSYLVANIA — Walmart will pay the state $7.68 million in administrative fines in the largest Child Labor Act settlement in Pennsylvania history. That comes in addition to more than $140,000 in fines previously paid following earlier state probes into Walmart's conduct.

State officials announced the settlement on Monday.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement that under Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Secretary Nancy Walker, the agency 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. Every employer in Pennsylvania should be on notice: we will not tolerate you taking advantage of our youngest workers.”

The department's Bureau of Labor Law Compliance began investigating Walmart in February 2025 after receiving referrals from the Department's Bureau of Workers' Compensation about minors injured while working at Walmart stores. After conducting 10 audits at eight Walmart stores across the state, investigators found an average of 65 Child Labor Act violations per audit.

The violations included:

• Failing to obtain required work permits for minor employees;
• Failing to notify school districts when minor employees were hired or terminated;
• Failing to provide minor employees with breaks required by law; and
• Allowing minors to work more hours than permitted under Pennsylvania law.

After identifying those initial violations, the bureau pursued a statewide settlement covering all Pennsylvania Walmart stores.

Under terms of the settlement agreement, Walmart has agreed to implement mandatory manager training on state child labor laws, display workplace posters outlining employee rights and submit employment records for minors at selected stores at six-month and one-year intervals.

If the settlement compliance checks reveal future child labor law violations, Walmart has agreed to pay double the department’s standard fine amount.

"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.," Walker said. "Protecting young workers is one of our most important responsibilities and we take it seriously."