SYRACUSE, Utah — Two family-fun centers in Syracuse and West Jordan were found by the Department of Labor to be violating federal child labor laws as well as minimum wage and overtime regulations.
The facilities, known as "The Rush Funplex" employed 76 children who were 14 or 15 years old and allowed them to work longer and later than permitted when school was in session, officials reported.
There arestrict laws in place for when teenagers under 16 years old are allowed to work during the school year. Teens can not work before or after school in excess of four hours a day, before 5 a.m., after 9:30 p.m. on school nights and can't work during school hours unless proper permission is secured.
On their website, The Rush Funplex states that employees must be at least 16 years old to work at their locations.
An investigation into Syracuse Family Fun LLC, which operates the centers, also revealed employed children were permitted to use prohibited equipment including fryers, pizza ovens and go-carts.
"i got extremely angry over this, this is not okay, this is not a way our children should be having our first job and this is supposed to be a fun first job," said Stephanie Gibbons, the mother of a former employee. "... at a young age kids need to be kids and they need to be in school and getting the first job, getting the first job is important, but you don't want to overstimulate them too much."
The Department of Labor discovered that payroll was missed and the legally required minimum wage was not paid for seven employees at the Syracuse and West Jordan locations, including two children.
Overtime wages for adults and one child employee were also not paid at the Syracuse facility.
In total, officials discovered $166,908 in penalties and recovered $6,009 in back wages to resolve the violations.
In response to the violations, The Rush Funplex management team issued a statement to FOX 13 News saying in part that they worked with investigators for months and implemented correcting policies.
"Beginning in 2021, The Rush Funplex fully cooperated with the U.S. Department of Labor over a year-long investigation covering nearly 4 years of employment records," the statement reads. "As we became aware of instances of non-compliance at two of our locations, we immediately implemented policy and procedure to prevent future occurrences."
Syracuse Family Fun LLC operates multiple entertainment centers across the United States, most of which are located in Utah.
In addition to the facilities in Syracuse and West Jordan, there are other centers in Orem and Pleasant View as well as in Shawnee Kansas and Kansas City Missouri.
Parents with working teens can find resources, such as information about what they should or should not be allowed to do on the job, on the Department of Labor's Youth Rules Initiative website. It includes all the federal and state laws that apply to young workers.
