Your Rights at Work

The story: Maya’s first schedule

In a grocery store, Maya and a coworker named Sam look at a work schedule with their manager.

1. Narrator: Maya is 15 and just started at a grocery store. Sam is 19 and has worked there for a year.
2. Adult: Training is Saturday, four hours. It’s unpaid, since you’re just learning.
3. Sam: Training is work time. Every hour you work gets paid, training included.
4. Maya: My Tuesday shift ends at 10 p.m., and I have school the next day. Is that allowed at 15?
5. Narrator: Federal rules limit how late and how long 14- and 15-year-olds can work, especially on school days. The limits are on the fact card.
6. Adult: Good catch, both of you. I’ll pay the training hours and fix the schedule.
7. Narrator: Keep your own log of hours. Asking about pay is normal, and it’s illegal to punish someone for reporting a pay problem.

What you’ll learn

1. Every hour counts

   Workers must be paid for every hour they work, including training and required meetings. Most hourly workers also get overtime: a higher rate past a set number of hours a week. The rules are on the fact card.

2. Limits by age

   At 14 and 15, federal rules limit both work hours and the kinds of jobs. At 16 and 17, federal rules limit job types, like hazardous jobs, but not hours. States can add more limits or require a work permit.

3. Keep your own log

   Write down the date, start time, end time and breaks for every shift. Compare your log with each paystub. If hours are missing, your log is the proof that gets them fixed.

   Example log: Sat 9:00–1:00, training, 4 hours. Mon 4:00–7:00, 3 hours.

4. If pay is short

   First, ask your manager or payroll, and bring your log. If that fails, workers can contact the state labor department or the federal Wage and Hour Division. It’s illegal to punish a worker for asking or reporting.

Key words

minimum wage

the lowest hourly pay the law allows

overtime

extra pay at a higher rate for hours past the weekly limit

wage theft

not getting all the pay you earned

work permit

a paper some states require before a teen can start a job

Common questions

Can I get in trouble for asking about my pay?

Asking about your own pay is normal. It’s illegal for an employer to punish a worker for reporting unpaid wages. If anything at work feels unsafe, talk to a trusted adult.

Remember this

Log your hours. Every hour counts.

Try it: Keep a 2-week hours log

1. Use the sample week from this lesson, or your own job or regular commitments.
2. For 2 weeks, write the date, start time, end time and breaks.
3. Add up the hours and compare them with any pay record.

Keep a 2-week hours log, for the sample week or for your own job or regular commitments.

Live facts

Numbers that change over time, with when they were last checked and where they come from.

• Work hours and job limits for teens, by age

  Source: U.S. Department of Labor (YouthRules!)(opens in a new tab)

• Who gets overtime, and when

  Source: U.S. Department of Labor(opens in a new tab)

• Minimum wage, federal and by state

  Source: U.S. Department of Labor(opens in a new tab)

• State teen work rules and work permits

  Source: U.S. Department of Labor(opens in a new tab)

• How to file a wage complaint

  Source: Wage and Hour Division(opens in a new tab)