Theatres in California among Those Cited for Labor Law Violations

St. Louis, MO As in any state, California labor law co-exists with federal law in an effort to ensure workers are treated fairly and remain safe on the job. In a recent case involving underage workers in California and other states, violations were found under jurisdiction of federal labor law. However, while the California labor code was not cited, labor law in California was impacted nonetheless.

In this particular case, the operators of three large national cinema chains were hammered by the US Department of Labor for alleged violations of child labor laws. Theatres operated by Regal Cinemas Inc., Marcus Theatres Corp. and Wehrenberg Inc. have already paid fines relating to allegations that teenagers were allowed to work too many hours and operated dangerous machinery, in contravention of child labor laws.

The 27 theatres investigated are located in nine states, including California. The other alleged offences were described as occurring in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

According to the March 2 edition of the Columbia Daily Tribune, about 160 young employees were allowed or mandated to perform hazardous jobs requiring the use of machinery that carried some risk. The operation of motor vehicles, paper balers, trash compactors and power-driven mixers while baking were all cited as contravening the youth employment provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The US Department of Labor pointed out that 17 hazardous jobs are identified, under law, as inappropriate for workers under the age of 18. Times of day, and the number of hours worked are also restricted under the law, according to the Labor Department. Marcus Theatres, according to a Labor Department release, failed to honor those provisions.

Fines paid by the three corporations totaled $277,000. Regal paid the largest bill, at $158,400. All three companies??"including Regal, which is billed as the largest with 6,683 screens??"were cited for allowing youths to load and operate trash compacters.

Marcus, which paid fines totaling $93,995, and Wehrenberg at $25,080, were both cited for allegations that youth workers were allowed to operate motor vehicles.

The types of motor vehicles were not disclosed.

"The penalties imposed as a result of these violations should serve as a wake-up call to movie theatre owners and other employers," Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said in a statement. "Businesses that employ minors are legally and ethically obligated to abide by child labor standards and ensure youth are protected on the job."

Adult, as well as underage workers in California are protected by federal labor laws??"as noted above??"as well as provisions entrenched in California state labor laws, all designed to protect the rights and the safety of workers.