By Kate Power
Features Editor
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or teenagers already in or planning to enter the workforce, there are rules and regulations that may benefit them to know.
Don Anderson, Senior Investigator with the N.C. Department of Labor, visited First Flight High School on Feb. 26 to make presentations to different groups of students, informing them of their rights in the workplace.
“This is your money,” Anderson said. “It is important to be aware of whether or not employers are paying their employees right.”
Minimum wage in N.C. is $7.25 an hour. However, it is legal for full-time students to be paid less than the minimum wage, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act. Also, an employer is entitled to reduce his employee’s rate of pay at any time without giving a reason, though there must be a written agreement involved when this takes place.
As for hours on the job, there are specific restrictions when it comes to teenagers. When shcool is in session, students age 14 and 15 can only work between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. This rule cannot be evaded, even with parental consent. On school days, they cannot spend more than three hours a day working, no more than eight hours on a non-school day, and no more than 18 hours total a week.
After June 1, a 14- or 15-year-old can work until 9 p.m., but no more than 40 hours a week.
For 16- and 17-year-olds, hours are generally not limited. However, in order to work after 11 p.m. on a school night, the teen must acquire permission from his school principal and parents.
In order to be employed in the first place, teenagers must present a work permit. This can be easily acquired by going onto Nclabor.com, clicking youth work permit on the bottom right-hand side of the Web page and filling out a small amount of information. The permit can then be printed out immediately.
It is important to have a work permit because the Department of Labor does random checks on businesses to ensure that all the teens have work permits.
North Carolina is an “at will” state, meaning employees can be fired at any time without an official reason, so it is important for teenagers to be aware of what is expected out of them at their jobs.
“Just like anything you do, if you want to be good at it, then you need to do a little homework on it,” Anderson said. “Find out what the minimum wage is, how much you should be paid overtime and other things about the job.”
If a teenager discovers that his or her employer is not treating them right legally regarding wages or hours on the job, then he or she should call 1-800-NCLABOR and file a complaint. The complaint will be recorded and investigated.
“The main advice I would give to teenagers is to go into the job and follow all the rules of the company, specifically always trying to be prompt,” Anderson said. “You want to be an asset to the company. Any way that you can be an asset to the company, be an asset.”
Send comments to powerka1207@daretolearn.org
