Labor-law compliance probed at restaurants

SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. Department of Labor said Wednesday it has launched a concentrated enforcement effort of restaurants throughout Utah to combat violations of federal minimum wage, overtime pay and child labor regulations.

Lee Ann Dunbar, the department's Wage and Hour Division's district director in Salt Lake City, said the division plans to conduct about 65 restaurant investigations in the state during the current fiscal year in order to determine the level of compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. Dunbar said the restaurant industry has had low compliance rates in the past.

The FLSA's child labor provisions are designed to protect workers by limiting the types of jobs and the number of hours they may work. Children under 14 years of age may not be employed in non-agricultural occupations covered by the FLSA. Youths 14 and 15 years of age may be employed outside of school hours in a variety of non-manufacturing and non-hazardous jobs for limited periods of time and under specified conditions. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds may be employed for unlimited hours in any occupation other than those declared hazardous by the secretary of labor.

The division has a confidential, online self-survey to help employers determine their levels of child labor compliance. The "Restaurant Employer Self Assessment Tool" may be accessed at www.youthrules.dol.gov/selfassess_restaurant.htm or obtained from the division's Salt Lake City office by calling 801-524-5706.