Anchorage comic book, game retailer cited for child labor violations

Employer:  Bosco’s Inc.

Sites: 2301 Spenard Road, Anchorage, Alaska
800 E. Dimond Blvd., Suite #162, Anchorage, Alaska

Investigation findings: Investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found Bosco’s violated the child labor and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Specifically, the retailer violated child labor law by requiring a 15-year-old worker to load an industrial-grade trash compactor, prohibited by law for workers under 18 years old, as a regular part of his duties. The division also cited the company for employing two 15-year-olds outside of allowable time standards for children under 16 years of age. These employees worked longer than three hours on a school day and later than 7 p.m. during the school year, both of which the FLSA prohibits. Investigators also found overtime and recordkeeping violations under the FLSA.

Resolution: Company owner John Weddleton agreed to pay $4,650 in civil penalties for violating the child labor standards. He also paid $126 to two workers in lost overtime wages, and committed to training all employees on child labor laws and hazardous occupations. He will also provide managers and supervisors training on federal recordkeeping, minimum wage and overtime regulations, and has agreed to include the department’s website in the Bosco employee handbook to give staff consistent access to all regulatory guidance.

Quote: “We are committed to helping young workers find positive, appropriate and safe employment experiences,” said Jeanette Aranda, director of the Wage and Hour Division in Seattle. “The Wage and Hour Division remains committed to vigorous enforcement of child labor standards, and will continue to use every enforcement tool available to do so. The training this employer has agreed to provide in the future will help all Bosco employees be better protected from a needless injury or tragedy.”

Information: Bosco’s Inc. is a group of retail stores in Alaska specializing in comics, cards, games and the pop culture collectibles. For more information about federal wage laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, call the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information also is available at http://www.dol.gov/whd.