In the middle of an environment of Increased monitoring of violations of child labor laws – and from legislative attacks on such lawsState labor regulators announced Monday that they have collected a total of $22,150 in fines from a Georgia-based contractor connected to an October 2022 incident in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania.
The company, JVS Roofing LLCof Jonesboro, Georgia, was also hit with various federal violations after a 17-year-old worker fell 24 feet from the roof of a hardware store in New Castle, Pennsylvania, in October 2022 Ministry of Labor and Industry said in a statement. The worker was flown to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries, labor regulators said.
The fine was imposed for violations of the fine Pennsylvania Construction Workplace Misclassification Act (Act 72) and that Pennsylvania Child Labor Lawthe agency said in its statement.
Of this, the contractor was assessed administrative penalties of $13,600 for failing to obtain work papers and failing to provide adequate breaks to child workers.
Pennsylvania Child Labor Law requires work papers for all children and that all children receive at least a 30-minute break every five hours, state regulators said.
The contractor was also fined $8,550 for misclassifying nine workers as independent contractors, state officials said.
“Pennsylvania Child Labor Law “Ensures the welfare and safety of young workers by regulating the employment of children under 18 years of age,” the agency said in its statement. “The law establishes maximum working hours and allowable hours of work and prohibits minors from engaging in hazardous occupations such as roofing work. “With very few exceptions, Pennsylvania law prohibits the employment of minors under the age of 14.”
PennDOT paving crews (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania photo)
In addition to the state measure, the US Department of Labor collected JVS fined $6,399 in accordance with the child labor regulations contained in federal law Fair Labor Standards Act, the federal law, which runs parallel to Pennsylvania's Minimum wage law And Child Labor Lawand $92,640 in back pay for workers who were misclassified as independent contractors, the two agencies said.
The federal investigation also revealed this JVS 30 workers misclassified as independent contractors. Investigators also found that the company had failed to maintain complete and accurate payroll records US Department of Labor said.
“JVS Roofing “I violated federal child labor laws and hired an underage employee to perform prohibited roofing work,” he said Wage and Hour Division District Director John DuMont said in a March statement.
“In investigating this incident, our investigators then concluded that the employer deprived employees of an average of $3,000 per employee in earned overtime by misclassifying them as independent contractors.” DuMont said.
At the moment the state Ministry of Labor Employment Law Compliance Office has 27 investigators covering all 67 counties in Pennsylvania. Democratically Gov. Josh Shapiros $44.4 billion proposed budget For the fiscal year that begins July 1, the government is seeking funding for eight more investigators, officials said.
The state agency said this was the case sued 927 contractors for violations of Act 72 since 2011 and collected more than $3 million in fines.
On Monday, state regulators urged employers to “familiarize themselves with Pennsylvania law.” Child Labor Law and Pennsylvania Construction Job Misclassification Act to ensure they are fully compliant.”
How to file a complaint: The states Employment Law Compliance Office responds to complaints from members of the public who suspect violations of the law Child Labor Act, Construction Job Misclassification Act and other Pennsylvania labor laws. Anyone can file a complaint L&Is Use website an online submission form.
