Pennsylvania Labor Laws

August 24th, 2006 Posted by Sarah

I find that employers and employees alike are often interested in knowing more about the labor laws that may apply to them. If you live or work in Pennsylvania, here’s a quick overview of a few of the labor laws in your state:

When it comes to laws about payment of wages, there are a number of regulations. The minimum wage in Pennsylvania is automatically tied to the federal minimum wage, so it’s currently $5.15 per hour. If at some point Congress raises the federal minimum wage, the Pennsylvania wage will go up along with it. Under the Pennsylvania labor law, wages must be paid on a regular basis, but there is no particular mandatory maximum length between paydays. Employees who are separated from their jobs for any reason must be paid by the next regular payday.

Child labor regulations are another important part of the Pennsylvania labor laws. Minors under 18 must obtain an employment certificate in order to work in the state. The hours of employment and types of work that may be performed are regulated separately for minors under 16, and 16 and 17 year old minors. A special permit is required for minors who are involved in motion picture or theatrical performance work. A meal break of 30 minutes is also required for all minors working five or more consecutive hours.

Pennsylvania workers should be glad to know that they are covered by a variety of occupational safety and health statutes. The Pennsylvania labor laws contain a variety of standards designed to maintain a safe, healthful and hazard-free workplace. Standards exist to regulate all kinds of workplace hazards, from hazardous chemicals to ladders and power equipment. Employers may be inspected and fined if they do not meet these standards.

These are just a few of the many topics covered under the Pennsylvania labor laws. Other areas of the law include workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, prevailing wages for employees on public works construction projects, the licensing of employment agencies, and more. For a thorough and up-to-date listing of all the state and federal labor laws, check out the Pennsylvania Complete Labor Law Poster.

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Posted in Compliance Issues, Department of Labor, Pennsylvania

  1. Posted by: Tom Pflueger

    Message
    i work as a full time vacation relief for a car rental agencey. they put my schedule out and it does not cover any employees vacation. I work day shift Monday and night shift Tuesday and from there it alternates day them night for the week. I would like to know if there is a law containing information about how they can make my schedule out? do they have to give me a specific shift and then put me in a spot for a vacationing employee or can they use me the way they want?

  2. Posted by: Amelia

    Hi Tom! There is no Pennsylvania or federal law that limits an employer’s right to schedule an employee. The employer can schedule the employee any way that he or she sees fit. It is entirely lawful for your employer to schedule you during the day on Monday, on Tuesday night and then during the day again on Wednesday. (There is not even a requirement that you be permitted 8 hours off between shifts.) There is no law that they must put you on either the day shift or the night shift. In fact, in many industries including tourism and hospitality (which is the business you are in) it is very common for employees to switch shifts back and forth within a single week.
    It sounds like you were hired to fill in when other employees are on vacation. If no other employees are on vacation, the employer would not have to give you any hours at all for the week. So they are actually doing you a favor.
    Sometimes an employer will write this type of schedule without realizing that they have scheduled you for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. If that is the cse, you can tactfully point it out to your supervisor. However, if it was not an error, the real question here is: do you want this job, or not? HTH, and thanks for reading the blogs!~ Amelia

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