Labor laws in the US Virgin Islands fall under United States jurisdiction and are heavily monitored and strictly enforced. Virgin Islands (VI) labor and employment laws are very similar to that of many other states. Employers must follow the Fair Labor Standards Act, OSHA laws, and federal laws regulating the right to organize, negotiate, call a strike, and collective bargaining. These laws are in place to protect the interest of everyone and to promote a fair, productive and profitable workforce.
The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes standards of employment regarding minimum wage, overtime, record keeping and child labor. There are also standards specific to Virgin Islands (VI) labor and employment laws. The minimum wage is 5.65 per hour. Employees who work more than 40 hours a week are required to be compensated at a rate of one and a half times their pay for all hours worked in excess of forty in a week. Employers should give a 10 minute rest period for every 4 hours worked and a meal period of at least 30 minutes when working more than 7 hours. Minors between the ages of 14 and 15 cannot work between the hours of 7am and 7pm during the school year, more that 3 hours a school day or 18 hours in a school week.
It is against the law for a minor to work in a hazardous occupation involving heavy construction work, the operation of power driven, metal forming, punching and shearing machines, the making of alcoholic beverages in bottling plants, electric and power generating plants, steam laundries, any quarry, the operation of power driven woodworking machines, spray painting or occupations involving exposure to lead or other hazardous chemicals, or any other business that is hazardous.
Workplace safety is an issue that is heavily regulated under US Virgin Islands (VI) labor and employment laws for all employees, not just minors.
