Unpaid labor.

Higby

New Member
Jurisdiction
Florida
From January to October this year I lived in a quasi-monastic commune in St. Augustine Florida. The commune in question is difficult to properly categorize - it could be called a religious community or a drug rehab facility, though not every person living there is an addict.

The other inhabitants and I worked eight or more hours six days out of the week without monetary compensation. This work was usually difficult and strenuous manual labor. Sometimes we would work on projects from which the organization was able to make money - for instance, making bowls, plates, and crosses which the organization later sold. A church across the street had people living in the commune sand and paint pews without pay.

A minor of 17-years old lived and worked in the commune for several months during the summer of this year. This struck me as somewhat questionable.

I realize that this sort of unpaid labor was done voluntarily on the part of the laborers and could be considered in some sense part of the community's program. but I was wondering if it was possible that the organization has broken any laws, and if the laborers are owed any sort of compensation.
 
A religious establishment and a rehabilitation facility are two very different things. Churches frequently have volunteers which perform duties for which pay is not required as the service is part of the religious obligation or teachings. That is totally legal. Likewise, rehabilitation facilities often have patients perform certain duties as part of the rehabilitative process. These are patients, not employees, and they need not be paid. I'm not sure why you think a 17 year old does not belong there, but there is nothing inherently illegal about it.
 
From January to October this year I lived in a quasi-monastic commune in St. Augustine Florida. The commune in question is difficult to properly categorize - it could be called a religious community or a drug rehab facility, though not every person living there is an addict.

The other inhabitants and I worked eight or more hours six days out of the week without monetary compensation. This work was usually difficult and strenuous manual labor. Sometimes we would work on projects from which the organization was able to make money - for instance, making bowls, plates, and crosses which the organization later sold. A church across the street had people living in the commune sand and paint pews without pay.

A minor of 17-years old lived and worked in the commune for several months during the summer of this year. This struck me as somewhat questionable.

I realize that this sort of unpaid labor was done voluntarily on the part of the laborers and could be considered in some sense part of the community's program. but I was wondering if it was possible that the organization has broken any laws, and if the laborers are owed any sort of compensation.


You LIVED on this commune for 10 months.

Why didn't you ask the commune leaders when you resided in their facility????
 
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