Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Restaurant Runner Inc., with offices in Santa Clarita and Bakersfield, Calif., has paid $15,200 in civil money penalties to settle charges that the company employed 18 minors in hazardous occupations prohibited by federal child labor laws.

Restaurant Runner contracts with restaurants in the Santa Clarita Valley, the San Fernando Valley and the Bakersfield area to deliver prepared meals to customers' homes. An investigation by the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division revealed that the firm allowed minors under the age of 18 to work as delivery drivers. One young driver was injured in a car accident while working for the company.

"Work experiences are valuable opportunities for teens but those opportunities must be safe," said George Friday, regional administrator of the Wage and Hour Division in San Francisco. "The child labor rules protect America's young workers, and the Labor Department aggressively pursues violators."

The youth employment provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act list 17 hazardous jobs, which young workers under the age of 18 may not perform. Examples include mining, meatpacking or processing, using power-driven bakery machines or paper product machines, roofing, and excavation operations. With few exceptions, work that involves driving is prohibited.

To help ensure safe and rewarding experiences for young workers, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao launched the YouthRules! Initiative in May 2002. The website, www.youthrules.gov, helps teens, parents, educators, employers, and the public understand the Federal and State laws regarding the hours young people can work and the type of jobs they can perform.

The investigation of Restaurant Runner Inc. covered the two-year period ending in February 2000. All penalties have been paid and the firm has agreed to future compliance.

The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) recovered more than $212 million in back wages in fiscal year (FY) 2003 -- a 21 percent increase over the record setting amount in FY 2002. Average days to resolve a complaint decreased in FY 2003 from 129 days to 108 days. WHD assessed employers nearly $10 million in civil money penalties in FY 2003.

For more information about the FLSA and the youth employment laws, call the Los Angeles Wage and Hour office at (213) 894-6375 or call the Department's toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). Information is also available on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance.