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Hiring Youth for Summer jobs
| Thursday, May 29 2008 11:01 AM
Last Updated: Thursday, May 29 2008 10:56 AM
Golden Valley High School junior Stephanie Pompa, 16, has been working at McDonald’s for more than six weeks.
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Now that summer is here, Stephanie will be working full-time as a cashier at the fast-food restaurant instead of her regular part-time schedule during the school year. Stephanie, like most of Kern County’s teens between the ages of 14 and 17, have or are looking for summer jobs.
This month, minors will be roaming the streets of Kern County looking for jobs like lifeguards, camp counselors, cashiers at stores and various positions at movie theaters.
Despite the sluggish employment market for adults, there are opportunities for minors, according to Cheryl People, manager for the Employment Development Department, Workforce Services Branch and Coordinator for Career Services Center.
“We are seeing a slower growth in the overall labor market,” says Peoples. “Many employers will hire the same number of youth, however, hours may be less. Some employers are reducing the number of new hires due to business demand, however, the fast-food industry stays pretty consistent.”
But summer jobs are not just about fast cash, says Peoples.
“Youths can looks for work in service industries, hospitality or recreation,“ she says. “They gain on-the-job training, experience, the ability to build a resume, a sense of contributing to the community and their households, financial independence and the opportunity to learn and practice handling money wisely.”
For the employer looking to hire youth for the summer, it is important to remember that after hiring hired a minor, he or she must obtain a work permit.
During summer months or when school is not in session, work permits can be obtained from the superintendent's office in their school district.
The form must be completed by the minor and the employer and signed by the minor's parent or guardian and the employer. School officials or the superintendent will issue the permit. Permits issued during the school year expire five days after the opening of the next succeeding school year and must be renewed.
Before the first day of work, parents, minors and the new employer must know the hours the minor is allowed to work by state law. According to Thomas Dinh, communications specialist from The California Department of Industrial Relations, minors between the ages 14 and 15 can work up to eight hours a day and a maximum of 40 hours a week when school is not in session. Minors 16 and 17 years old can work up to eight hours a day and a maximum of 48 hours a week.
“Minors and parents need know there’s laws to protect them,” says Dinh. “Their safety is very important.”
As an employer of minors, it is important to know the following:
In California, no worker under 18 may: • Drive a motor vehicle on public streets as part of the job • Drive a forklift • Use powered equipment like a circular saw, box crusher, meat slicer or bakery machine • Work in wrecking, demolition, excavation or roofing • Handle, serve or sell alcoholic beverages • Work where there is exposure to radiation Also, no one 14 or 15 years old may: • Do any baking or cooking on the job (except cooking at a serving counter) • Work in dry cleaning or a commercial laundry • Do building, construction or manufacturing work • Load or unload a truck, railroad car or conveyor • Work on a ladder or scaffold Be sure to check with child labor laws or with the minor’s school counselor or job placement coordinator to make sure the job being asked of them is cleared before hiring.
Before Stephanie worked at McDonald’s, she worked as a dispatcher for her parents trucking business – PC Enterprises.
“She made us very proud because she always liked to work,” says her mother Veronica. “Before she worked at her new job, we went over the rules and laws for minors with her. As business owners ourselves, we shared our knowledge with her to protect her.”
Last year, of an estimated 3,000 work injuries reported and investigated by Cal/OSHA, four of those injuries were minors. One instance was a 17-year-old amputating a finger while cleaning a dough mixer at a processing plant.
If a minor is injured on the job, they are expected to: • Notify their superior right away. If they are under 18, their parents or guardians should be immediately notified. • Get emergency medical treatment if needed. • Ask their superior for a claim form. This should be filled out and returned to the employer to request workers' compensation benefits.
An employer is required by law to provide workers' compensation benefits. These include: • Medical care for the workers injury, whether they miss time from work or not. • Payments if wages are lost for more than three days or if the employee is hospitalized overnight. • Other benefits if they become permanently disabled.
Important Web sites
http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/DLSE-CL.htm