Hollister Co., the teen clothing chain inspired by the laid-back surfing lifestyle of Southern California, apparently isn’t getting the message about the state’s child labor laws.
A summer sweep of Massachusetts malls resulted in 27 retailers being cited for 106 child labor violations, and Hollister garnered nearly half of them, according to state Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office.
Hollister, an Abercrombie & Fitch Co. subsidiary, must pay $2,750 in penalties for 51 violations for employing minors without work permits. The Hollister store at the Solomon Pond Mall in Marlboro was responsible for 34 of the violations. The company was also the biggest offender of child labor laws in a December sweep of malls by the Attorney General’s Office during the busy holiday shopping season.
State child labor laws require 14- to 17-year-olds to have work permits from their school superintendents before starting jobs. Employers also must keep the permits on file at the locations where the minors work.
The Steve & Barry’s store at the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers was cited for 12 child labor law violations, also for employing minors without work permits. It received a $600 penalty.
Only one store, Aeropostale at the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis, violated child labor protections that govern how late teens can work. It earned a $100 penalty for letting a minor work after 10 p.m.
