Is Your Co-op or Condo Violating Child Labor Laws?

A resident in an Upper East Side condo recently asked: Is our building open to prosecution for allowing a 16-year-old doorman to work a double shift on a Sunday during the school year?

The answer is yes, says the Ask Real Estate column in The New York Times, since city law does not allow anyone to quit school until 17 years old and state laws generally forbid anyone under 17 from working more than one 8-hour shift in a day.

“(Does the board) have a responsibility to this child to enforce the rules?” Walter K. Harman Jr., a Manhattan labor lawyer, said of the teenage doorman. “Morally, I say yes. Absolutely.”

In violating child labor laws, a co-op or condo board could leave itself open to getting sued, fined, or investigated by the State Department of Labor. Shareholders or unit owners could wind up having to cover legal fees and fines, leading to an assessment or an increase in monthly maintenance or common charges.