by Mike Hall, Dec 12, 2007

CVS Pharmacy Inc. will pay nearly a quarter of a million dollars in fines and more than $38,000 in back wages for exposing young workers to hazardous conditions and altering employee time cards in violations of the wage and young worker provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the U.S. Department of Labor announced this week.

The investigation covered 63 CVS retail locations in the Northeast. The department said 78 minors had been exposed to hazardous working conditions, including the loading and operation of cardboard compacters and bailers. Also, seven young workers were allowed to work long or later than the law allows.

The company agreed to the pay back pay settlement after the investigation found 51 workers were not paid what they were owed—in most case because store managers changed their time cards.

The fines CVS agreed to pay are $215,378 for youth employment violations and $11,220 for the wage violations. The violations were found at 43 stores in Rhode Island, Connecticut,  New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania. 

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