Child Labor Violations at Chattanooga Malls
Violations found at 11 of 17 retail establishments result in $100,000 in penalties
As a result of a child labor mall initiative undertaken in Tennessee by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, 11 employers are receiving a total of $100,029 in fines for violations of the youth employment provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Investigators visited 17 stores, restaurants and movie theaters located in Chattanooga, Knoxville and Memphis shopping malls and found that nearly two-thirds of the establishments in those malls allowed minors to operate hazardous equipment or violated rules regulating the hours and occupations of minors. The hazardous equipment included trash compactors, paper balers and bakery machines.
The department did not identify exactly which businesses were fined.
In addition, three employees were found to be owed back wages for overtime violations, and 17 employees were owed back wages for not receiving the federal minimum wage as required by the FLSA.
"While younger employees can gain valuable work experience, employers are responsible for complying with federal laws limiting hazardous work, as well as the federal occupation and age restrictions for employees under age 18," said Marcia Collins, the Wage and Hour Division's district director in Nashville.
The FLSA prohibits the employment of people under the age of 18 years in any nonagricultural occupations that the Labor Department has declared hazardous. These dangerous tasks are identified by 17 hazardous occupation orders, one of which requires that employees be at least 18 to operate or assist in operating power-driven paper products machines.
Minors may not work more than three hours on school days, eight hours on nonschool days, 18 hours in school weeks or 40 hours during nonschool weeks. The regulations specify that 14- and 15-year-olds may work during non-school hours, but no later than 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 until Labor Day).
