Western Wats Fined $552k for Employing Minors

US data collection firm Western Wats has been fined $552k for employing 1,482 minors, three of whom were as young as 13, to conduct market research and political surveys from its call centers in seven states. This is the highest such penalty ever doled out to a US company.

An investigation, which was undertaken by the Salt Lake Wage and Hour Division office, found the firm guilty of violating child-labor laws, and of not following the rules on wages or on how many hours young workers are allowed to work.

The rules state that children who are 14 and 15 years old are allowed to work no more than three hours on a school day and 18 hours total during a school week. On non-school days, they can work no more than eight hours or a total of 40 hours during the week. It is illegal to employ anyone under the age of 14, except on farms.

According to the allegations, the violations took place at Western Wats' centers in Orem, Logan and Spanish Fork, Utah; Casa Grande, Arizona; Pocatello and Rexburg, Idaho; Independence and Pittsburg, Kansas; Wayne, Nebraska; Brookings, South Dakota; and Laramie, Wyoming.

However, Western Wats does not agree with the findings and has filed an appeal with the Department of Labor.

'Western Wats vehemently denies the extent and severity of the claimed violation,' stated the company's attorney Stacey Jenkins. 'In all cases, the work was performed in a safe environment and provided an excellent employment experience. While it is possible that technical violations did occur, it is appropriate to withhold judgment until the appeal process is complete.'

Lee Ann Dunbar, the DOL's District Director for Utah, Montana and Wyoming, said that she found it unusual that a company would employ children so young to make cold calls to adults. 'The company will have to explain that,' she added.

Investigators also found that Western Wats sometimes paid children less than the $7.25-an-hour federal minimum wage, although the company has now agreed to pay about $5,000 in back wages.

Western Wats has phone centers across the US, as well as two operations in the Philippines.

Web site: www.westernwats.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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