It's a familiar scene to most Wasatch Front residents.
The doorbell rings, some earnest young person rattles off a spiel about selling candy, wrapping paper, greeting cards or fruit in return for wages and something really neat, like a trip to summer camp.Wondering if it's a scam, many of us pull out the checkbook anyway.
Will that teenager get the trip to summer camp? Or Disneyland? If the teen describes this as a nonprofit group, what percentage of the money actually goes to charity?
The State Labor Commission has rules governing companies that use minors to sell items door-to-door, but these deal almost entirely with the working conditions for young people. Company structure, division of profits and other matters are not under the commission's authority.
Nonprofit groups must register with the state and are expected to use volunteers rather than paid employees.
When it comes to profit-making companies, the State Labor Commission regulates such things as wages, working conditions, hours of employment and supervision, according to division director Joseph Gallegos Jr.
Under current rules, businesses that employ young people ages 12 to 15 must register with the state every Jan. 1, have solicitor licenses from the community in which the young people are working, must use a driver with a valid driver's license, and follow the state's youth employment rule.
The State Labor Commission's rule for minors ages 12-15 selling door-to-door includes these provisions:
They must be paid minimum wage.
They must be within sight or sound of an adult supervisor at least once every hour.
One adult supervisor is required for every 10 youths.
They must work in pairs on the same or opposite sides of the street in residential areas.
They cannot be transported more than 30 miles from home.
They cannot work past 9:30 p.m.
They must be provided restroom time at least once every three hours and be provided meals if they work more than three consecutive hours.
As for promising -- and delivering -- trips to Disneyland, that also does not come under the commission's jurisdiction.
"It's possible that an employer might be doing that," Gallegos said. "What comes under our jurisdiction are certain conditions that apply to youth in door-to-door sales. There's nothing wrong, for example, with an employer saying, 'At the end of the year, I'll fly you down to San Diego,' as long as they comply with other regulations."
However, Colleen Strasburg, employment standards bureau manager, voices some caution about promised vacations.
"We wouldn't really know if they were given those trips or provided those trips. One thing that would be a concern to us is if it turned into a working trip because an employer cannot take minors more than 30 miles from home," she said.
Strasburg said the department has investigated a complaint about one organization that allegedly took young people to Disneyland but also put them to work selling door-to-door in Southern California.
Many employers are operating legally, but Gallegos knows there are con artists out there, and the commission takes action when it gets complaints.
A few recent examples:
An Orem firm in 1997 paid $25,000 and agreed to stop using minors in door-to-door sales after company officials acknowledged they violated child labor rules more than 50 times.
Gallegos in 1997 refused to overturn a hearing officer's decision that ordered a West Jordan man to pay $364,000 for allegedly violating the law.
"We have cracked down on some companies in the past," he said.
Gallegos said he wants to hear from the public if a sales firm or charity looks suspicious so the commission can check it. The phone number is 530-6801.