Birmingham Urban Air indoor fun park franchisee pays $28K in civil penalties after US Department of Labor finds child labor violations

Employer:      Urban Air Tutwiler LLC, operating as Urban Air Trussville

                        3695 Roosevelt Blvd.

                        Birmingham, AL 35235

Investigation findings: U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigators found the Birmingham indoor adventure park allowed 36 minor-aged employees, under 16 years old, to work after 7 p.m. on a school night, after 9 p.m. in the summer, more than 3 hours on school days and more than 18 hours a week during a school week, all violations of the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The division also found the employer failed to include a worker’s bonus in overtime pay calculation, an FLSA overtime violation. 

Civil money penalties assessed:       $28,476 to address child labor violations

Back wages owed to workers:          $145 to one worker

Quote: “The significant increase in child labor violations nationwide is troubling,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Kenneth Stripling in Birmingham, Alabama. “Here in the Southeast and across the nation, the Department of Labor is committed to making sure young workers can experience the world of work without jeopardizing their safety or education by enforcing the laws that protect them.

Background: In February 2023, the agency found a Jacksonville, Florida-based Urban Air location also in violation of child labor laws when it allowed 55 minor-aged employees, 14- and 15-years old, to work after 7 p.m. on a school night. The agency assessed the employer $43,505 in civil money penalties in that case.

Employers can contact the Wage and Hour Division at its toll-free number, 866-4-US-WAGE. Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including information about protections for young workers on the department’s YouthRules! website.

Workers can call the Wage and Hour Division confidentially with questions and the department can speak with callers in more than 200 languages. Workers and employers alike can help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s Android and iOS Timesheet App for free, which is available in English and Spanish.