At Lincoln, it is almost expected to hear high schools students talk about taking on jobs while balancing their academic workload. Many students at Lincoln are able to hold part time jobs at establishments like Great America, In & Out Burger, Starbucks and Target while maintaining a respectable GPA and healthy work environment. However, two students attending Watsonville High School had their work ethic and vigor taken advantage of and exploited during their time of employment at Jack-In-The-Box.

However Jack in the Box is not the main culprit in this child exploitation case but rather Central Coast Restaurant Inc, the franchisor of Jack in the Box. The owner of Central Coast Restaurant, Anil Yadav, owns hundreds of other restaurants not only in California but other states as well. Mr. Yadav also partially owns two golf courses, one in San Diego and one in Gilroy, and altogether employs thousands of people, a number that includes many high school students including students in Santa Clara County.

Mr. Richard Alpers of Alpers Law Group will be representing these students in a class action law suit opposing the injustices they were exposed to during their employment with the Jack in the Box restaurants owned and operated by Central Coast Restaurants. A class action lawsuit is when a plaintiff sues an individual/group on behalf of many clients instead of the traditional single client. Lion Tales was lucky to correspond via email with Mr. Alpers through a series of emails in which he gave us as many details as he could about the case.

California law very clearly states that students ages 16 and 17 may only work from 5 am to 10 pm and cannot exceed more than four hours of work on a school day. When a student is granted a work permit and gives it to his/her employer, this information about hour limitations is written on the permit itself. Despite their employer knowing about the limited hours students can work, the students from Watsonville High however reported working between 5 and 8 hours a day beginning right after school, around 4 o’clock, and not timing out until midnight. The seemingly grueling hours are to be expected for adults but for children who’s first class begins at 7 am, it is completely unacceptable, Mr. Alpers alluded.

These students were not working to have extra money  for the newest Jordan sneakers or iPhone X, the students were working because their parents are monolingual Spanish speaking field workers who are barely making ends meet, Alpers concluded. The students have put up with the inhumane and illegal working conditions because they were likely becoming the main providers for their family, they knew the impact they had on their siblings livelihood.

Through the experience of managing thousands of people, one would hope that Mr. Yadav would be able to keep track of the very clear hours students are allowed to work. While these two students may not have been physically forced to work it was made very clear to them that if they could keep to their assigned schedule they would very likely lose their jobs.

Though we are grateful that two students have been brave enough to come forward we cannot help but wonder, how many students are being exploited in the same fashion and feel as though they cannot come out? It has also come to light that Central Coast Restaurants employ about one hundred students in Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, San Benito County, and Monterey County. Our very own Lincoln High School has  had students work in violation of California Labor Code section 1391 (the section which clarifies when minor students may work); these students worked at Jack in the Box branded restaurants owned and operated by Central Coast Restaurants.

It is disheartening to hear that a wealthy man had to build his riches on the backs of defenseless students. Our youth are our most valuable assets, their livelihood is all of our responsibilities. These students our are next senators, doctors, teachers, and engineers; the success of our students is the success of our nation.

If you are a student being taken advantage of in the workplace there are resources for you; please reach out to the Equal Employment Opportunity Comission

Keep an eye out Lions, I will update you as the case develops.