Vermont businesses have failed to protect teenage workers, and now the U.S. Department of Labor is getting involved.
There has been a national trend of increased child-labor law violations, which had been steadily decreasing until 2015, when the numbers began to tick up again. Reported violations last year involved more than 2,800 minor workers and triggered $3.4 million in penalties.
The Department of Labor's Northern New England office in Manchester, New Hampshire said it "has taken strong enforcement actions" including conducting investigations and engaging in outreach in order to decrease federal labor violations at businesses across the region.
“Ensuring the safety of our youngest workers and bringing employers into compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act’s child labor restrictions are high priorities for the Wage and Hour Division,” said Steven McKinney, division director at the regional labor department office, in a news release. “We encourage employers to be proactive and to use best practice measures to ensure they protect young workers.”
A news release from the labor department cited examples of violations in the food service industry among McDonald's and Dunkin' franchises this year in Vermont and New Hampshire.
At nine McDonald's run by Coughlin, Inc., 142 workers ages 14 and 15 worked more hours than federal law permits. Federal law states this group cannot work more than three hours on a school day or more than 18 hours...
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