(Statewide) – Changes to Indiana’s child labor laws went into effect January 1 which could affect teens who have or are looking for jobs.
Employers are now no longer required to schedule around a teen’s school hours or adhere to daily and weekly hour limits. For example, 16- and 17-year-olds no longer need parental permission to work longer or later, and an adult no longer has to be present at public establishments when juveniles work past 10 p.m.
Germaine Willett, an employment law attorney at the firm Ice Miller in Indianapolis, sees the changes as less administrative burden for employers who hire teens.
“What could be small violations, just a few minutes over a shift, for example, to not have employers be so constrained as they were to get workers ages 16 and 17 out the door exactly at the prior hour’s limits,” Willett outlined.
Willett noted now, a student has to self-advocate if a time conflict arises between an employer’s work schedule request and their school hours. Supporters of the changes said longer hours on the job mean more money, and work better prepares them for the real world. Critics argued tighter work restrictions allow teens to focus more on their education and activities with their peers.
The modifications were made to more closely align Indiana law with federal requirements. Willett emphasized some of the biggest revisions extend exemptions to certain 14- and 15-year-olds.
“Those who have been excused from, or perhaps prohibited from, attending school under certain circumstances — perhaps quit school after finishing 8th grade, or quit school to support their child — those individuals would not be subjected to the same limitations, and instead be treated as if they’re 16 or older,” Willett explained.
Willett added it did not make sense for teens with such obligations to have the same work limits others had to follow under the old law. The Indiana Department of Labor said 14- and 15-year-olds may work until 9 p.m. on any day of the week between June 1 and Labor Day, with some exceptions.
(Story by our newsgathering partners at Indiana News Service)
