Current and former employees of Urban Air in Everett picketed the indoor adventure park Saturday, Aug. 29.

Workers alleged the owner scheduled 15-year-olds past Washington's legal work-hour limits and shorted employees on pay.

The protest targeted Olivia Tejas, owner of the Everett Urban Air location, not the venue's current general manager, My Everett News reported.

Workers alleged Tejas scheduled minors as late as 11 p.m. during school weeks and frequently assigned shifts ending at 10 p.m.

Under Washington Department of Labor & Industries rules, 14- and 15-year-olds may not work past 7 p.m. during school weeks. Even during non-school weeks between June 1 and Labor Day, the cutoff is 9 p.m.

An 11 p.m. shift would run four hours past the school-week limit.

Protesters also alleged Tejas clocked workers out for breaks that were never taken, clocked them out at their scheduled end time even when they were required to stay late, and did not pay for mandatory training.

Washington recently toughened enforcement. House Bill 2479, which took effect June 11, removed a previous $20,000 cap on civil penalties for willful wage violations and set a $1,500 minimum penalty per affected worker.

The law also allows L&I to expand an investigation beyond the original complaint when it finds common issues across a workplace.

One former employee was banned from the Urban Air premises the day after the protest, Sunday, Aug. 30.

Tejas told the worker she would call law enforcement if he returned, according to My Everett News.

Two days after the protest, on Aug. 31, Urban Air posted that it was hiring new employees ages 16 and older.

No on-record response from Tejas has appeared in published reporting.

Anyone who believes an employer has violated child labor laws can file a complaint with L&I online, by mail or at a local office. No formal L&I investigation has been publicly confirmed as of Sept. 2.