Can teens frost doughnuts? This seminar tells you<br> Free DLT series offers a primer on labor laws

Sure, you can hire a 14-year-old to work at a doughnut shop. But ask him to frost the doughnuts, and you may face some stiff penalties.
Topics such as what teenage workers can and cannot legally do, proper hiring and firing practices, and the deductions that can be made from employees’ paychecks will be among the subjects covered in an upcoming educational series from the R.I. Department of Labor and Training called “Knowledge Is Power!”
According to Maggie Riley, chief labor standards examiner for the department and one of two instructors for the four three-hour seminars, the purpose of the program is to educate employers about regulations they must adhere to that they may not be aware of.
For instance, one of the more controversial issues discussed in the class is an employer’s ability to deduct money from an employee’s wages. Some employers have said that they have deducted money for damage to silverware, uniform expenses and for cleaning. But according, to Riley, an employer can’t take money out for those items.
And – something that is shocking to many – employers can’t deduct money from a paycheck if the cash drawer comes up short.
“There are a whole bunch of things that people come up with that they would like to deduct from wages, and they cannot do that,” Riley said.
“Until the law changes, we have to accept it the way it is.”
Record-keeping is another big issue for employers addressed in the seminar. The difference between salaried and hourly employees is usually the biggest question, with many employers not knowing that an hourly employee must be paid weekly and that a salaried employee still needs to keep daily and weekly records of hours worked.
“You either have people saying, ‘Oh no, you’ve got to be kidding me,’
or they look down and don’t even say anything,” Riley said.
The seminar will also look at the legalities of hiring teenage workers. Those issues may include curfews and the doughnut-frosting conundrum.
“It’s considered part of a process,” Riley said, “and 14- and 15-year-olds cannot do processing.”
Four hundred mailings were sent out to the restaurant industry, the targeted industry for February’s sessions, Riley said. But any type of business owner is welcome at the seminars, she said.
In fact, one group that is generally absent from such seminars is small business owners, Riley said; most participating employers have 50 to 150 workers. Riley said that it could be even more crucial for the smaller business owner to come to the seminars because often they own small shops that aren’t up to date on the laws and regulations.
“Beside the owner being responsible for everything that goes there, they’re also sitting at the table with the other people doing the work,” she said. “They don’t have a person that can pick up the phone and ask us what the laws are.”
Dale Venturini, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association, praised the department for running the seminars.
She said that it is difficult for businesses to keep up on all the latest laws and regulations, especially when there is a gap between a law passing and the regulation getting implemented.
“I think it’s imperative that state agencies inform small business owners – and any business owners – of regulations,” she said. “A lot of times, laws are passed and in the newspapers you’ll hear about them. But then they have to promulgate regulations to fulfill the requirements of the law. A lot of times you don’t know about those.”
Aside from the knowledge gained, the employer also gets the opportunity to correct deficiencies, Riley said.
“If someone comes to a seminar, we’re not going to run out there and fight them with anything,” Riley said. “We’re going to tell them that this is their chance to right themselves now. Then, in future, if anyone complains, we will look to records to see if they’re in compliance.”

The Labor Law Standards seminars will run four times this February at the DLT offices, 1511 Pontiac Ave., Cranston:
• Tuesday, Feb. 6, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.;
• Thursday, Feb. 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.;
• Tuesday, Feb. 13, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.;
• and Wednesday, Feb. 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Registration takes place a half-hour before each seminar begins. The DLT Employer Education Series is free and open to the public.