The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) found no violations of child labor laws by junior hockey league teams in the state, including the Kent-based Seattle Thunderbirds who play at the ShoWare Center.
The agency issued a media release on Wednesday that it closed the case.
In May, legislators clarified existing law with passage of Engrossed Senate Bill 5893. The law now states players ages 16 to 20 on junior ice hockey teams that play in publicly owned facilities are not employees, according to a L&I media release. L&I reviewed the updated language in the law, which took effect July 24, and determined it covered the central issues.
In late 2013, L&I received a child labor complaint against the Western Hockey League (WHL) teams in Washington, including the Spokane Chiefs, Tri-City Americans, Everett Silvertips and Thunderbirds.
As a result, the agency sought information about the relationship between the teams and participants. L&I investigators spent significant time on this complex matter pursuing information, researching prior case law, and developing and distributing a questionnaire to the youth hockey teams involved.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill in May to clarify that WHL players are amateur athletes and not employees who should be paid minimum wage and fall under state child labor laws.
WHL owners proposed the bill because of the ongoing investigation by L&I into whether child labor laws have been broken by the teams. Owners of the four Washington teams claimed they faced potential shutdown after a complaint filed with the state said players were professional athletes and therefore subject to certain wage and labor laws.
Owners feared if they must abide by child labor laws the younger players would no longer be able to compete with such limited work hours and their entire business model for the league would fall apart.
The league includes teams from Northwestern Canada, Washington and Oregon. Rosters feature players who receive a one-year college scholarship for each season they play in the league. Some players are drafted by the NHL.
The investigative file, which is more than 700 pages, is available by contacting PublicRecords@lni.wa.gov.
More information about workplace rights for teens is available at www.lni.wa.gov/teenworkers.
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