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Subtopics |
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The Fair Labor Standards
Act (FLSA) provides for the employment of certain individuals at wage rates
below the minimum wage. These
individuals include student-learners (vocational education students), as well
as full-time students employed by retail or service establishments,
agriculture, or institutions of higher education. Also included are individuals
whose earning or productive capacity is impaired by a physical or mental
disability, including those related to age or injury, for the work to be
performed.
Employment at less than the minimum wage is designed to prevent
the loss of employment opportunities for these individuals. Certificates issued
by the Department of Labors Wage & Hour
Division are required for this type of employment.
The youth minimum
wage is authorized by the FLSA, which allows employers to pay employees
under 20 years of age a lower wage for 90 calendar days after they are first
employed. Any wage rate above $4.25 an hour may be paid to eligible workers
during this 90-day period.
Compliance
assistance materials regarding the subminimum wage are available from the
Office of Compliance Assistance Policy's Web site.
DOL Web Pages on This
Topic
Fact Sheet on the
Youth Minimum Wage Answers a variety of questions about the minimum
wage, including the subminimum wage.
Fact Sheet on the
Employment of Workers with Disabilities at Special Minimum Wages More
information about the subminimum wage.
Questions and Answers About the
Minimum Wage Answers to questions ranging from "how often does the
minimum wage increase" to "who ensures that workers are paid at least the
minimum wage?"
Coverage Under the
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Fact Sheet General information about
who is covered by the FLSA.
Laws on This Topic
Laws
29
USC Chapter 8, §206 Minimum Wage Statutes
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