Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SEATTLE, WA -- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is visiting Washington employers to assist businesses in complying with the youth employment provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

“These visits provide compliance assistance on the number of hours, times of day and occupations minors under the age of 18 may work,” said Donna Hart, district director for the Seattle Wage and Hour office. “Complying with the law helps ensure that employers do not jeopardize the health, well-being or education of young workers.”

The FLSA details hours that minors under age 16 may work and specifies hazardous occupations prohibited for minors under 18. The law allows 14-and 15-year-olds to work during the school year, but not later than 7:00 p.m. (9:00 p.m. from June 1 until Labor Day) and for no more than three hours on school days or 18 hours during the school week. These minors may work up to eight hours on non-school days or 40 hours during non-school weeks.

Information about the federal youth employment laws may be found at www.youthrules.dol.gov, which was developed in conjunction with the department’s YouthRules! public awareness campaign to educate teens, parents, educators, employers and the public about federal and state laws regarding young workers.

Employers who have been randomly selected for the compliance assistance visits are being contacted by the Wage and Hour Division in advance.

For more information, call the Seattle Wage and Hour office at 206-398-8039 or the department’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWGE (1-866-487-9243). Compliance information is also available 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.