Idaho Child Labor Laws in Agriculture
Child labor refers to the employment of minors under the age of 18. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Idaho labor laws generally prohibit employment of a minor under the age of 14, but exceptions for children working in the agricultural industry are made under state and federal laws.
Other People Are Reading
-
Fair Labor Standards Act
-
The FLSA sets minimum requirements all employers must abide by, including setting limits on the employment of child laborers. Under the FLSA, children under the age of 14 cannot be employed in any capacity unless in an agriculture capacity or for entertainment purposes. Children ages 14 may work in the agriculture industry with parental consent or on a farm that employs the child's parents. However, the FLSA had additional restrictions for children ages 10 or 11. Children under 11 cannot be employed as a hand-harvest laborer for more than eight weeks each year.
Idaho Hourly Restrictions
-
Idaho law permits children under the age of 14 to work in an agricultural capacity with some hourly restrictions. Under Idaho labor law, agricultural employers cannot work child laborers during public school hours, before 6:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. Further, children under the age of 16 cannot be employed more than 54 hours in one week or more than nine hours in a single day. These hourly restrictions also remain in effect year-round and do not change during summer hours or when public school is not in session.
-
Family Farms
-
Federal and Idaho labor laws do not apply to child laborers who are employed by their parents on a family farm.
Minimum Wage
-
As of August, 2010, the federal minimum wage for a child laborer is $7.25 per hour, however a reduced wage of $4.25 per hour may be paid to any employee under the age of 20 for the first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment. Idaho's state minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, the same as federal minimum wage with no added protections for child workers.
-
References
- Photo Credit Labor of love image by Siew Yee Lee from Fotolia.com
