The state of Wyoming is easy to pick out on a map: it’s the perfect square situated in the Midwest (above the perfect square of Colorado!). Close to half of Wyoming land is actually owned by the US Government and has been set aside as national parks. Within the borders of Wyoming is Yellowstone National Park, one of the most famous and oft-visited parks in the country.
With all of this federal land, the many workers needed to manage the parks are actually federal employees. As such, they are covered by federal labor laws. Wyoming labor laws have incorporated the national statutes for the other workers employed in the state.
Wyoming Labor Law Breaks
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Regarding breaks for all employees, Wyoming abides by federal law by default. Only if it lasts less than 20 minutes must a meal break be paid if an employer wishes to offer one. As long as the employee is entirely relieved of all obligations, breaks longer than 30 minutes are considered meal intervals and do not require payment.
Wyoming Labor Wage Laws
As of 2009, the minimum wage for Wyoming workers is $7.75 per hour but there are restrictions with that pay. This only applies to companies that have at least $500,000 of annual revenue or workers that travel across state lines. For other types of smaller Wyoming businesses, the minimum wage is $5.15 or $2.13 for employees working for tips.
These rates apply for both full and part-time workers and are based on a forty-hour work week. For hours worked beyond forty, the workers should be paid at time and a half of their salary. Wyoming employers are not obligated to pay extra for holidays, weekends, or night shift work.
Wyoming Child Labor Laws
Child labor laws are covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Because farm work is a big part of Wyoming, there are exemptions to child labor laws when it comes to working for the family. For instance, the minimum age for a minor to be allowed to work is 14 unless it is a family farm then the age drops to 12.
Even then the minors must have their parent’s permission to work and cannot work as a harvester for more than eight weeks in any year. In terms of the number of hours they can work, the only restriction is that minors can’t work during school hours.
If the minor is under the age of 18 they are restricted from working at hazardous jobs. These would include any job that involves explosives, logging, sawmilling, coal mining, or operating most power-driven manufacturing machines or tools.
Wyoming Maternity Leave Labor Laws
In Wyoming, as with other states, maternity leave is covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. Basically, any employee who has worked full-time for up to one year and their place of employment is allowed to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. To qualify the employee needs to be taking care of a sick family member or taking care of their own health.
With regard to pregnancy or maternity leave, the same 12-week rules apply but this is also extended to an employee who is adopting a child, becoming a foster parent, or obtaining child custody.
Not all of the twelve weeks need to be used consecutively. Depending on the situation, an employee might be able to use acquired personal sick or vacation days to be paid for some of the leave. Proper notification is needed for extended leave but the employee should have their position and salary guaranteed upon their return to work.