YouthRules! Marks One-Year Anniversary, Continues
to Expand

Expansion Includes New Strategic Partnerships, Resource Materials, and Revamped Website

WASHINGTON—Tammy D. McCutchen, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, today announced the expansion of the YouthRules! initiative to include information geared towards youth employed in agriculture.

“Every year, millions of teens work in part-time or summer jobs,” said McCutchen. “Although the agriculture industry employs fewer young workers, we want to ensure that parents, teens, and employers in this important sector are aware of the resources and protections that exist to ensure that teens have positive and safe work experiences on farms across the country.”

The department released new resource materials about laws that have particular application to agriculture. The materials include a bookmark about the hours young people can work and the jobs they can do on farms as well as an Agricultural Employer’s Guide on Youth Employment. The department announced a YouthRules! partnership with the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE). NCAE will be working with the department to distribute the new youth employment bookmark and employer’s guide to agricultural employers.

McCutchen added, “We are delighted that NCAE is part of the YouthRules! team. NCAE shares our commitment to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for youth in the agricultural workforce.”

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has also agreed to become a YouthRules! partner. LULAC is an advocacy group that works to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, health, and civil rights of the Hispanic population in the United States. Through its almost 600 local councils, LULAC will make the new materials available to young agricultural workers and their families.

YouthRules! is a public awareness campaign launched by U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao one year ago to bring teens, parents, educators, and employers together to promote safe and rewarding work experiences for young workers. The department launched a website and developed partnerships with state and federal government agencies, employer groups, trade associations, and advocacy groups to promote this initiative.

The department unveiled the re-designed YouthRules! website. The website, a gateway to information on the Internet about young workers, is designed to efficiently disseminate information to teens, employers, and educators on the youth employment laws.

Information about YouthRules! and the new agriculture materials can be found at www.youthrules.dol.gov. For information about the laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, log on to the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov, or call the Department of Labor’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE.

# # #

_________________________________________________________________

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.