Labor Standards

Parental Consent Form

2008 Training Schedule

The Division of Labor Standards is responsible for the enforcement of the Child Labor Act, the Wage Regulations Act, and the Prevailing Wage Act.

The Child Labor Act prohibits the employment of a minor in certain occupations in which conditions are hazardous. The law also regulates the hours 14 through 17 year old minors may work.

The Wage Regulations Act ensures an employee's right to wages legally owed. Inspectors investigate complaints of an employer's failure to pay an agreed salary and aid the employee in recovering wages owed. This Act also protects employees from sex discrimination in relation to wages and requires employers to pay each employee, regardless of their sex, the same wages for jobs requiring comparable skills, effort and responsibility.

Included in the Child Labor and the Wage Regulations Acts are provisions for a thirty (30) minute unpaid break or meal period.  This provision is mandatory for minors.  However, for adult employees, the nature of the business might provide an "ample opportunity" (to be determined by Labor Standards) exception.

Under the Prevailing Wage Act, the wages for state-funded construction projects are set.  The Division of Labor Standards conducts a survey of wages paid to building and highway construction workers in Tennessee.  Based upon a statistical analysis of the survey results, the Prevailing Wage Commission sets a wage rate for the different job classifications in the construction industry.

Also under the auspices of the Division of Labor Standards is the Board of Employee Assistance Professionals.  An employee assistance program (EAP) is a worksite-based program designed to assist in the identification and resolution of productivity problems associated with employees impaired by personal concerns that might adversely affect employee job performance.

The following subjects are our critical steps of service delivery, and we will be happy to answer any questions that you might have: