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Child Labor and Minimum Wage Abuses |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 01 September 2008 04:31 |
If I told you the Ohio Renaissance Festival hires 12 year old children to handle their trash, you would probably think I was nuts. “Those aren’t children” you would tell me, going on to explain they are Boy Scouts. In truth, the Ohio Renaissance festival does not employ 12 year olds and I do not think they are in violation of child labor laws. Well not the letter of the law. Follow the bouncing ball of this logic stream. First we will look at how another amusement park addresses the problem of customer created trash.
At Kings Island and other amusement parks, adults who are paid at least minimum wage pick up the trash and throw it into trash receptacles. At parks which still allow cigarettes to be smoked on the grounds, I am speaking about things like picking up cigarette buts.
At the Ohio Renaissance Festival, children who are paid either a tiny wage or no wage what so ever to walk around the park picking up cigarette butts. Interesting enough, despite being children and providing the labor this does not openly seem to be a violation of child labor laws.
The Boy Scouts of America
The Ohio Renaissance Festival does not directly hire these children. Instead, it seems Slick Pete (my new name for ORF Inc. owner Peter Carroll) has cut a deal with the Boy Scouts of America to pick up the garbage, cigarette butts, empty beer cups and the likes. In exchange, the Boy Scouts of America or the local chapter probably receives a donation and Slick Pete probably gets a nice tax write off. On the other hand, maybe the only thing they get is into the festival for free. Is this legal?
At state and county fairs much the same is done. The thing is, those type of events are not commercial entities. They do not exist for the purpose of making a profit. Further, there are exemptions to the child labor laws and the minimum wage laws for such not for profit organizations. The Ohio Renaissance Festival is a for profit incorporation. The same rules do not apply. For profit organizations are expected to pay for the services they require.
The Shriners and Other Organizations
Making matters even more twisted, if you go to the “employment” page at the Ohio Renaissance Festival you will see a photograph of Peter Carroll standing in the middle of a bunch of very happy Shriners. As I am sure you probably know, the Shriners are known far and wide for their tremendously charitable help to children. Why would the Shriners help someone who would use Boy Scouts this way? My thought is they have had the wool pulled over their eyes just like the Boy Scouts of America.
“The Ohio Renaissance Festival has a lucrative fund raising program for clubs and organizations which will allow your club's treasury to build while your members experience and enjoy the Renaissance Festival.”
http://www.renfestival.com/employment.html
Sounds great right? It makes Peter Carroll sound like he is really helping these clubs and organizations. But what will they be doing for this money? The web page goes on to state:
“The Festival offers service groups and organizations the opportunity to staff and operate the food and beverage buildings and souvenir booths.”
Pepsi Cola
Chances are you already see where this is going. If not, let me spell it out even more clearly. Soda pop is probably the most lucrative thing sold at the festival. For a cup of Pepsi Cola (an official sponsor of ORF Inc.) you pay either $2.00 or $2.50 (I forget the exact amount). If not for labor, that product might have cost the fair 10 cents to provide. Can you imagine the profit you could make if you could be the only person selling refreshment and you did not have to pay labor costs? How much money could you make if you paid a tiny fee and had children sell your Pepsi products? That is exactly what the Ohio Renaissance Festival has been doing and if I am lying to you they would sue me big time. Instead, they don’t even dispute what I am saying.
Charitable Organizations
The reason nobody ever questions this conduct is because it is common elsewhere. In the world of the not for profit Renaissance Festivals (a dying breed) and other not for profit organizations, this sort of conduct is common and quite acceptable. That is because it is a not for profit organization. But the Ohio Renaissance Festival is a for profit incorporation. One which instead of paying a fair wage to adults, chooses to pay a below standard wage to children for their labor.
Now remember, this is not just the Pepsi sales. The official employment page of the Ohio Renaissance Festival states that this is for “the food and beverage buildings and souvenir booths”. So it looks like instead of paying a work force of this size, he donates money to a charity and takes a tax write off.
So tell me, is there a merit badge for helping a greedy old man abuse young children?
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