Hindi pa naisasalin ang buong teksto ng pahinang ito, kaya nakalagay ito sa Ingles sa ibaba. Naisalin na ang buod, mga label, at impormasyong pangkaligtasan sa itaas.
A 16-year-old in Murfreesboro gets asked to close at a pizza place on Tuesday nights, until 11:30. Federal law would allow it. Tennessee law does not, unless a parent has signed a specific form. That gap between the two rulebooks is the most useful thing a working teen in Tennessee can know, and it is why this article compares them side by side.
Two rulebooks, and the stricter one wins
Most Tennessee employers must follow both the state Child Labor Act, which covers workers ages 14 to 17, and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the national wage and child labor law. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development says employers must follow whichever rule is more restrictive.
Congress's power to set that federal floor was settled in United States v. Darby (1941). The Supreme Court upheld the FLSA and said Congress can regulate working conditions for goods shipped between states, which reversed its earlier ruling in Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918) that had struck down a federal child labor law.
The Tennessee labor department's child labor page lists hours rules and a parental consent form, but it does not describe a separate state work permit. We could not confirm on an official page whether an employer must keep proof of your age, so ask the employer what they need, or call the state (details below).
Hours for 14 and 15, and the school-night rule for 16 and 17
At 14 or 15, while school is in session, you can work no more than 3 hours a day and 18 hours a week, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. When school is out, the limit is 8 hours a day and 40 a week, between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. These numbers match the federal ones.
At 16 or 17, federal law sets no limit on hours. Tennessee does. You cannot work during hours you are required to be in class, and you cannot work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday nights before a school day.
There is one exception. If a parent signs the state's Parental Consent Form and the employer keeps it in your file, you may work until midnight, but no more than three of those school nights a week. The form lasts until the end of the school year, the end of the job, or your 18th birthday, whichever comes first.
If you are scheduled for 6 hours in a row, you must get a 30-minute unpaid break, and it cannot come before or during your first hour. Adults can sometimes waive that break. Workers under 18 cannot.
Pay: the federal minimum applies
Tennessee has no state minimum wage law. The U.S. Department of Labor says employers covered by the FLSA must pay the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. That is also the rate that applies to workers under 18 in Tennessee, since the state sets no separate youth wage of its own.
Where to ask a question or report a problem
Child labor complaints in Tennessee go to the Labor Standards Unit of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The phone number is 844-224-5818, and the department's Child Labor page links to an online Child Labor Complaint Form. The department also posts its wage and child labor poster in Spanish.
Before you call, write down your schedule, your pay, and the dates. Keep a copy of the consent form if your parent signed one. A parent, teacher, or school counselor can make the call with you.
Tandaan ito
- Tennessee employers must follow whichever is stricter: the state Child Labor Act or the federal FLSA.
- At 16 or 17, no work from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. before a school day, unless a signed Parental Consent Form allows midnight up to three nights a week.
- Tennessee has no state minimum wage, so the federal $7.25 an hour applies.
- Report problems to the Labor Standards Unit at 844-224-5818 or through its online complaint form.
Mga pinagmulan
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development: Child Labor (bubukas sa bagong tab)
- U.S. Dept. of Labor: State minimum wage laws (bubukas sa bagong tab)
- U.S. Dept. of Labor: Fact Sheet #43, child labor provisions for nonagricultural occupations (bubukas sa bagong tab)
- Legal Information Institute: United States v. Darby (1941) (bubukas sa bagong tab)
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