A Kentucky distribution center faces a hefty fine after the U.S. Department of Labor discovered that the warehouse illegally hired two children. One of the children was operating a forklift.
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Win It America Inc. owns a warehouse in Hebron and reportedly employed an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old for several months. In a press release, the U.S. Department of Labor said that one of their inspectors saw the 11-year-old child operating a forklift, dangerous for workers under 18, and the 13-year-old was picking up orders. The minors also worked long hours, more than what is legally allowed according to federal law.
“The company employed both children for more hours than legally allowed and violated federal regulations that forbid employing workers under 14 years of age in non-agricultural occupations. In addition to ordering the company to comply with federal child labor regulations, the court required Win.IT America to pay $30,276 in civil money penalties and to hire a third-party consultant to provide semi-annual compliance training for all management personnel for a period of three years,” the statement reads.
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The department also informed the company through a federal consent judgment on Sept. 8, which requires the warehouse operator to stop hiring children and issued a warning about child labor law violations, as reported by NBC News. Win.IT America Inc. is the American branch of the WinIT Technology Co., a Shanghai-based integrated supply chain solutions provider. It has over 700 employees in the United States, Germany, Australia, and Great Britain.
Child labor laws in the United States are designed to protect children from working in dangerous or exploitative jobs. The main law governing child labor in the United States is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Under the FLSA, children under the age of 14 are generally prohibited from working in non-agricultural occupations. Children between the ages of 14 and 16 may be employed in non-agricultural occupations during limited hours and under specified conditions.Children between the ages of 16 and 18 may be used in most non-agricultural professions, but there are still some restrictions on the types of jobs and the hours they can work.The FLSA also contains several exemptions to the general child labor rules. For example, children under 14 may work in limited agricultural jobs, and children of any age may work for their parents in businesses owned and operated by their parents.
In addition to the FLSA, several state and local child labor laws exist. These laws may be more or less restrictive than the federal laws. For example, some states have laws prohibiting children under 16 from working in restaurants or other food service establishments.
