Coakley Cracks Down On Christmas
Stores at Natick Collection among those fined for child labor violations
Working late on a school night isn't just a bad idea for students, it's against the law. And to make that point, state Attorney General Martha Coakley recently issued 31 fines to 25 stores that ran afoul of state child labor laws at 10 malls across the state, including the posh Natick Collection.
Coakley's office found a total of 177 child labor violations during the holiday shopping period, including "stores failing to identify minor employees on work schedules and employing minors without work permits past the latest permissible hour of work."
Stores at the Natick Collection that were fined were Puma North America and Spencer's Gifts. Both were fined for employing minors without working permits. The violations cited at those stores carry a fine of $86 per incident. Puma was cited for two and Spencer's was cited for one.
Work Rules
In 2007, the state amended its child labor laws to make it illegal for 16- and 17-year-olds to work past 10 p.m. on school nights. The amendments also made it illegal for minors to work past 8 p.m. without adult supervision.
Coakley's office said the most egregious shopping season violator was the clothing store Hollister Co. At the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis, there were 15 incidents of 16- and 17-year-olds working past 10 p.m. at Hollister, and on a number of occasions, those teens worked until 5 a.m., Coakley's office said.
The store was also cited for 37 instances of employment of a minor without a work permit, and was fined nearly $6,000.
Hollister's store at the Burlington Mall was found to be employing 57 minors without work permits, and was fined $2,850.
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