SB 355

Current law provides general standards for the employment of minors,

including standards prohibiting minors under 16 years of age from being employed

for such hours of the day or week or at such periods of the day as may be dangerous

or prejudicial to the life, health, safety, or welfare of the minor.

2011 Wisconsin Act

32

made various changes to those standards, including:

1. Eliminating the statutory hours per day and per week and days per week and

times of day that a minor 16 years of age or over may work.

2. Setting the hours that a minor under 16 years of age may work at three hours

per day on a school day and eight hours per day on a nonschool day and at 18 hours

per week in a school week and 40 hours per week in a nonschool week.

3. Setting the days in a week that a minor under 16 years of age may work at

six.

4. Setting the times of day that a minor under 16 years of age may work at not

before 7:00 a.m. and not after 7:00 p.m. from the day after Labor Day to May 31 and

at not before 7:00 a.m. and not after 9:00 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day.

2011 Wisconsin Act 32

also prohibited the Department of Workforce

Development (DWD) from fixing for minors 16 years of age or over maximum hours

of employment per day and per week, maximum days of employment per week, or

hours at which employment may begin and end and from fixing for minors under 16

years of age maximum hours of employment per day and per week, maximum days

of employment per week, or hours at which employment may begin and end that

exceed those maximum hours per day and per week or those maximum days per week

or that begin earlier or end later than those hours at which employment may begin

and end.

This bill eliminates those changes, thereby restoring prior law. Specifically, the

bill prohibits any minor, including a minor 16 years of age or over, but not including

a minor employed in domestic service, farm labor, or service as an election inspector,

from working for no more than eight hours per day, 40 hours per week, and six days

per week, except that the bill permits a minor under 16 years of age, subject to those

exceptions, to work for no more than 24 hours per week. The bill also prohibits a

minor under 16 years of age from working before 7:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m., except

in domestic service, farm labor, public exhibitions, or street trades. Finally, the bill

provides that these standards are subject to orders issued by DWD fixing hours of

employment for minors. Under prior law, DWD fixed those hours as follows:

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See PDF for table

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