Oregon Car Dealership Pays Penalty for Child Labor Law Violations

PORTLAND, OR – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Landmark Ford Inc. – a car dealership in Tigard, Oregon – has paid $27,451 to resolve child labor violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators found Landmark Ford Inc. employed minors – ages 16 and 17 – to work as lot attendants tasked with occupations prohibited under FLSA’s youth employment provisions, such as driving vehicles on public roadways, and loading and operating trash compactors.

Investigators also found that violations led to the injury of one minor employee riding in the open bed in the back of a pick-up truck. A sudden acceleration of the vehicle threw the minor backwards, slamming his back into the tailgate. The law prohibits minor employees from riding outside the cab of a vehicle in this manner.

Additionally, the employer failed to demonstrate that minors completed a required state-approved driving education course.

“Child labor laws exist to strike a balance between providing meaningful work experiences for young people and keeping them safe on the job while not interfering with their educational opportunities,” said Wage and Hour District Director Thomas Silva in Portland, Oregon. “Child labor violations like those found in this investigation can be avoided.”

The department offers numerous resources to ensure employers have the tools they need to understand their responsibilities and to comply with federal law, such as online videos, confidential calls, or in-person visits to local WHD offices.

For more information about the child labor standards, the FLSA, and other laws enforced by WHD, contact the Division's toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the Division.

WHD’s mission is to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the nation’s workforce. WHD enforces federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. WHD also enforces the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, wage garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act and a number of employment standards and worker protections as provided in several immigration related statutes. Additionally, WHD administers and enforces the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act and other statutes applicable to federal contracts for construction and for the provision of goods and services.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.