A NC fast food chain violated child labor laws. These are rules employers must follow
From summer jobs to after-school gigs, plenty of North Carolinians under 18 years old are already part of the workforce.
Teens in the state are allowed to hold some jobs. Still, the law puts limits on a number of things, including where minors can work, what they can do at their jobs and how long they can work.
And employers who violate those laws can face hefty penalties, as seen recently in both North and South Carolina.
This was the case when minor teens working at a Huntersville Chick-fil-A restaurant were allowed to operate a dangerous machine. The location’s franchisee had to pay up after violating child labor laws, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Here’s what to know about child labor laws in North Carolina and what they mean for families and employers:
What jobs can teens have in NC?
What jobs minors can and cannot have depends on exactly how young the person is, the North Carolina Department of Labor explains.
Those younger than 14 years old can only work for their parents, “in home delivery of newspapers, or in modeling or acting in a movie or theater production.”
Teens as young as 14 to 15 years old can work “in retail businesses, food service establishments, service stations and offices of other businesses.” But they aren’t legally allowed to work “in manufacturing, mining, on construction sites, with power-driven machinery, on the premise of a business holding an ABC permit for the on-premises sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages, or in hazardous or detrimental occupations.”
And 16 and 17-year-olds also aren’t allowed to work “in hazardous or detrimental occupations.”
Several types of jobs are defined by federal and/or North Carolina law as hazardous or detrimental, though there are some exceptions for “apprenticeship or student-learner” programs.
Find the full list here.
How many hours can teens work in NC?
How many hours juveniles can work also depends on their age, the law says.
Teens who are 14 or 15 years old can work “no more than three hours a day when school is in session for the youth and no more than eight hours a day if school is not in session.” Their shifts must not be during school hours and can only run between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the school year, or 9 p.m. “from June 1 through Labor Day when school is not in session.”
They can only work “a maximum of 18 hours per week when school is in session or 40 hours per week when school is not in session” and must get a 30-minute break “after any period of five consecutive hours of work.”
Teens who are 16 or older “who are enrolled in grades 12 or lower cannot be employed between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. when there is school for the youth the next day” unless their employer gets “written permission from the youth’s parents and principal.”
How to report a child labor issue
Complaints about child labor issues must be made by calling the state labor department at 1-800-625-2267.
That includes anonymous complaints.
What’s the punishment for violating child labor laws?
Under state law, employers who violate youth employment laws can face civil penalties.
The fines can increase if multiple violations by the same employer pile up.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 4:24 PM.
