The
U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has fined nine farms
and 17 farm labor contractors doing business in Bladen and Craven
counties, N.C., for violating federal labor law, including employing
children as young as eight years old as farm laborers.
The
investigation is part of the agency's ongoing agricultural initiative
aimed at protecting the rights of farm workers under provisions of the
Fair Labor Standards Act and Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker
Protection Act (MSPA).
Five of the nine agricultural employers
were found to have employed underage workers. They are: Blueberry Hill
Farms, Carter Farms, Morris Bros. Blueberry Farms, Nelson's Blueberry
Farm and Thomas Milton Smith. Two of the 17 farm labor contractors —
Macendonio Hernandez and Jesus Moto Serrano — were also cited for child
labor violations.
Other employer violations include failure to
disclose terms and conditions of employment as required by MSPA,
recordkeeping violations and violations of federal minimum wage law.
Penalties imposed against the 26 employers total $31,445 in addition to
$40,010 in back wages owed to 428 farm workers.
"Agricultural
employers in North Carolina must understand that the Labor Department
will vigorously enforce federal labor laws whenever we find that
employees are illegally employed," said Richard Blaylock, district
director of the Wage and Hour Division in Raleigh. "Agricultural
employment is particularly dangerous for children, and the rules for
their employment must be followed," he added.
Under federal law,
youths ages 16 and above may work in any farm job at any time, and
youths of any age may work at any time in any job on a farm owned or
operated by their parents. Other youths aged 14 and 15 may work outside
school hours in jobs not declared hazardous by the secretary of labor.
There are special requirements for employing youths under age 14.
In
July, the Wage and Hour Division cited an Arkansas farmer for illegally
employing children to pick blueberries. That case, involving Caston
Blueberry Partnership, was resolved when the employer paid $2,282 in
fines.
The investigations were conducted by the Wage and Hour
Division's Raleigh District Office, 4407 Bland Road., Suite 260;
telephone 919-790-2742. Information on federal laws concerning minimum
wage, overtime, and migrant and seasonal agricultural workers is
available by calling the Department of Labor's toll-free helpline at
866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or on the Internet at
http://www.wagehour.dol.gov.
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