Is it against labor laws in Colorado to work a 16-year-old 8 hour shifts and more than 15-20 hours a week?

by **gustav** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:28 am

I have a friend who started working at McDonald's as their first job and as of the third day they have worked 20 hours already and 8 hour shifts. She got overwhelmed and just decided to quit her job.

I myself had the same situation happen to me recently because there was a child that I was babysitting for somebody and they worked me 5 days a week and 11 hours a day and I got stressed and lost a lot sleep. I also got paid $35 dollars an hour and if you divide 35 and 11 that would be about $3.00 and plus the child was a horrid brat.

Isn't against Colorado labor laws to be working more than 15-20 hours a week or shorter shifts?

by **muireach** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:41 am

Not illegal. Perfectly normal. They don't pay you to do things that don't require effort.

What is with kids these days?! (OMG, y'all finally made me say it - LOL!) When I was sixteen and seventeen (and labor laws weren't so strictly enforced) I worked full time, went to high school full time, and was the editor of my school paper.

Your friend isn't mature enough for this responsibility. Which is too bad at sixteen, but it what it is. If it's not a problem for her parents, it's not a problem. They're the ones who are going to have to support her. (And it sounds like they'd better plan to be doing so for longer than the next two years.)

Your story's different. You can't be expected to work eleven hours a day. Most adults can't do that for long! Plus, I think you meant $35 a day, right? Yeah, I'd say that's below the minimum wage ... a bit! Your parents should have stepped in immediately.

by **shaddoc98** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:43 am

You're welcome. Thanx for BA! :)

by **denzell** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:55 am

You're welcome. Thanx for BA! :)

Completely legal. See this site. http://www.coworkforce.com/lab/YouthLawFactSheet.pdf

What happened to you is illegal.

by **drystan** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:59 am

http://www.coworkforce.com/lab/youth.asp

General Restrictions
No employer shall be permitted to work a minor
more than forty hours in a week or more than
eight hours in any twenty-four-hour period.

sounds like the girl just is too lazy to work. my first job, I was working 32 hour weeks, 8 hours a day for 4 days out of the week; that's on top of being in honors classes at school and doing extra curricular activities.

by **iomar** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:09 am

nah, cuz you just gotta learn to fight against that and say no. there ARE other jobs.

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