- Rhode Island labor laws prevent children from working in quarries or mines.mining image by JASON WINTER from Fotolia.com
The Ocean State has a variety of labor laws that protect workers on the job. Some of these laws are idiosyncratic, such as a law requiring overtime pay on Sundays. Other laws protect children from exploitative or dangerous employment. Workers in the State of Rhode Island should familiarize themselves with the law to insist that their rights are being respected. Employers should know the law to remain on the right side of it. - Rhode Island labor laws regulate the number of hours that a minor may work. Minors aged 14 and 15 cannot work during school hours or between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., though they may work as late as 9 p.m. during the summer. Further, minors of this age may not work more than eight hours in a day or more than 48 hours total in a week. Minors must be given at least an eight hour break in between shifts.
Further, Rhode Island law prohibits minors from working in many professions. These include mining, manufacturing, logging, slaughtering, meatpacking, demolition, roofing and excavation. - All hours worked over 40 must be paid at one-and-a-half times the normal hourly rate of pay. In addition, Rhode Island labor laws require that employees who work on recognized holidays be paid overtime rates. Further, most employees who work on Sundays are eligible for overtime pay. Some professions not covered by overtime-on-Sunday laws include maritime, agricultural, health care, restaurant and summer-camp workers.
- Rhode Island labor laws require that all hourly-waged employees receive a paycheck every week. The law also requires that all paychecks come with a pay stub, informing the worker of how many hours they worked, their rate of pay, the amount of all deductions made and the reasons for the deductions. Employers may not make deductions from employee wages for cash shortages, uniforms, damages or any other reasons other than federal and state mandated deductions and advances on future pay. To make a deduction based on a wage advance, an employer must have a signed form authorizing the deduction from an employee.
- The Whistleblower Protection Act prevents bosses from firing, threatening or discriminating against employees who report or threaten to report violations of state labor law. Employees may also not be discriminated against in any way for refusing to follow an order to break state labor laws.
