Il testo completo di questa pagina non è ancora stato tradotto, quindi qui sotto è mostrato in inglese. Il riepilogo, le etichette e le informazioni sulla sicurezza qui sopra sono tradotti.
A 15-year-old in Nashua is hired to work the counter at a pizza place after school. New Hampshire's Youth Employment Law (the state law on jobs for anyone under 18) says the owner needs a signed certificate for that job within 3 business days of the first shift. The state also has its own hour limits. Federal law sets a floor, and when the two differ, the employer follows the rule that protects the young worker more.
Under 16: the certificate
A youth employment certificate is a state form that says a minor may work. In New Hampshire, anyone under 16 needs one, with three exceptions: working for a parent, grandparent, or guardian, doing 'casual' work (odd jobs like shoveling a neighbor's walk), and farm work.
The certificate can be issued by your school principal or someone the principal names, or by your parent or guardian. It is issued only after a check that your grades are at a satisfactory level, and it must show proof of your age and adequate health, with a line for a parent's signature. If your grades slip later, the school or your parent can revoke it, and the employer and the New Hampshire Department of Labor must be told within 48 hours.
At 16 and 17 you do not need a certificate. Unless you have finished high school or a GED, your employer must keep a signed note from your parent or guardian on file saying you may work.
Hour limits: state rules and the federal floor
If you are under 16, New Hampshire allows work only between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. On a school day the limit is 3 hours, and in a school week it is 23 hours. On a day with no school you may work 8 hours, and during vacations up to 48 hours a week. Federal rules for 14- and 15-year-olds are stricter on the school week (18 hours) and on the evening (7 p.m. outside summer), so an employer covered by federal law has to follow those.
At 16 and 17, federal hour rules stop. New Hampshire's do not. If you are enrolled in school, you may not work more than 35 hours in a week when school meets all 5 days. During vacations, summer included (June 1 through Labor Day), the cap is 48 hours and 6 days in a row.
Your pay
New Hampshire does not set its own minimum wage number. State law says the minimum is the federal minimum wage. There is one youth rule worth knowing: a worker 16 or younger can be paid as little as 75 percent of the minimum, and only if the employer keeps proof of the worker's age on file. Once you turn 17, that lower rate no longer applies to you.
Congress's power to set wage and child-labor rules was settled in United States v. Darby (1941), where the Supreme Court upheld the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and overruled Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), an earlier case that had struck down a federal child-labor law.
If something seems wrong
The New Hampshire Department of Labor enforces the Youth Employment Law, and an employer who breaks the hour or certificate rules faces a civil penalty of at least $100. If you are scheduled past 9 p.m. at 15, or past 35 hours in a school week at 16, write down the dates and hours first. Then talk to a parent, your school counselor, or the department directly.
Before a first job, ask your principal's office how your school issues the certificate. Many families find it is a single form.
Da ricordare
- Under 16, you need a youth employment certificate from your principal or parent, except for family, casual, or farm work.
- Under 16: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., 3 hours on a school day, 23 hours in a school week under state law, and federal limits can be tighter.
- At 16 and 17 and enrolled in school, New Hampshire caps a full school week at 35 hours and vacation weeks at 48.
- The state minimum wage is the federal one, and workers 16 or younger can legally be paid 75 percent of it.
Fonti
- New Hampshire General Court: RSA 276-A:4, Youth Employment Law prohibitions (si apre in una nuova scheda)
- New Hampshire General Court: RSA 276-A:5, Certificate (si apre in una nuova scheda)
- New Hampshire General Court: RSA 279:21, Minimum hourly rate (si apre in una nuova scheda)
- Legal Information Institute: United States v. Darby, 312 U.S. 100 (1941) (si apre in una nuova scheda)
Questo articolo offre informazioni educative generali, non consulenza legale personalizzata. KidsKnowRights non è uno studio legale, e leggere questo articolo non crea un rapporto avvocato-cliente. Le leggi cambiano a seconda dello stato, dell'età e delle circostanze, e cambiano nel tempo. Per un consiglio su una situazione reale, parla con un avvocato abilitato o con un'organizzazione di assistenza legale gratuita.