Labor
Restrictions For Minors
NATO Supports Dept. of Labor YouthRules!
Effort
by Jonathan Yarowsky
NATO Washington Counsel
The
exhibition industry has historically led the way in setting
a model of open employment opportunity for all Americans,
including young people entering the workforce for the first
time. Developmental psychology (and plain common sense!)
tells us that the first job for young people moving from
adolescence to adulthood is an important one; it offers
the first chance to learn the rewards and responsibilities
that come with working with others to achieve common goals
in a commercial setting – and to receive a paycheck
for that effort. But in return, the exhibition industry
receives much from the entrance of young people into its
workplace, for these young workers bring an energy and vibrancy
to the setting. We take pride in the fact that when patrons
enter a theatre anywhere across the country, they are sure
to see young people from their own communities working throughout
the venue, whether those young people are selling tickets
at the box office or running the concession stand or cleaning
the auditoriums.
As the
exhibition industry continues to look to our youth to provide
a constant source of labor, NATO members have always been,
and remain, dedicated to providing a safe and rewarding
work environment for all their employees.
NATO’s
historical commitment to youth employment has recently been
reaffirmed at the national level by U.S. Department of Labor
Secretary Elaine Chao, who has made it a top priority to
educate parents, educators, employers and the general public
on what federal and state labor laws require with regard
to youth workers. This campaign – called “YouthRules!”
– creates a partnership between the U.S. Department
of Labor and so-called “strategic partners” in
the private sector to make information about these rules
more readily available. As you may be aware, NATO is supporting
the department’s efforts and is proud to be a strategic
partner in this campaign.
The
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was enacted in 1938 and
contains a series of “youth” provisions that,
among other things, limit the types of work young people
can engage in, as well as the amount of time they can work
at those jobs. Under the FLSA, 16- and 17-year-olds are
free to work full-time and overtime in those occupations
not deemed “hazardous” by the secretary of labor.
A list of those jobs is included in the department’s
“employment guide.” These rules prescribe the
national “floor” that is applicable to all states,
with individual states retaining the power to legislate
even stricter standards. As such, a number of states have,
in fact, placed restrictions on their work rules for youth.
Moreover, under federal law, 14- and 15-year-olds are even
more tightly restricted in the kinds of jobs they may hold,
with the Department of Labor taking great care to actually
specify the proper working environments for these young
people, as well as additional specific occupations which
are off-limits. The minimum age of employment under the
FLSA is 14, and jobs for these young people are limited
to delivering newspapers, babysitting, acting or working
in a business solely owned and operated by that youth’s
parents. Once a youth reaches 18 years of age, he or she
is no longer subject to the federal child labor laws.
On Aug.
22, NATO and representatives from a variety of other service-industry
associations met with representatives from the Department
of Labor to discuss ways in which strategic partners can
assist in promoting the YouthRules! program. As a strategic
partner in this effort, NATO has agreed to take a number
of steps to make information regarding youth employment
readily available to its members. Those steps include:
1) providing
the DOL Employer Guide to all NATO members;
2) linking the YouthRules! Website to the
NATO Website; and
3) publishing more extensive information in this publication
regarding the program and what the rules require.
In addition
to the Employer Guide, the Department’s Website contains
other useful information for employers, employees and the
public, including: 1) what hours youth can work; 2) what
types of jobs youth can perform; 3) training materials for
young people, parents and employers; 4) information related
to youth employment in a variety of work; and 5) links to
information specific to a number of states. For those interested
in reviewing the YouthRules! information directly, that
Website can be accessed at www.youthrules.dol.gov.
We should all take justifiable pride in NATO’s continuing
commitment to the youth of our country in providing work
opportunities in a safe and rewarding environment. 
