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Father asks Erie licensing board to allow 16‑year‑old helper card; board tables request for solicitor review
Summary
At the May 5 Erie Licensing Board meeting, Matthew John Shulkem asked that his 16‑year‑old son be eligible for a helper/apprentice electrical card. The board voiced labor‑law and liability concerns and voted to table the request so the city solicitor can review legal issues before the June meeting.
Matthew John Shulkem, owner of Shulkem Electric and Construction Company, told the Erie Licensing Board on May 5 that he wants a helper/apprentice electrical card issued so his son Nathan (turning 16 on May 20) can begin on‑the‑job training.
"I'm the owner of Shulkem Electric and Construction Company," Shulkem said, and told the board he plans to train his son and that the helper card is "his future." He outlined a multi‑year plan of summer and weekend hours to accumulate the on‑the‑job time required for a journeyman license.
Board members raised statutory and liability questions. Members noted that while the city's licensing ordinance does not set a minimum age for a helper card, state labor rules restrict the tasks 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds can perform in hazardous environments. The chair urged caution and recommended legal review, saying the board should "table this for this month ... and make sure that we can do this legally and not have any liability. Just have the solicitor look at it."
Following that recommendation, a board member moved to table the request until the June meeting; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The board did not issue the helper card at the May meeting.
The matter is scheduled for further consideration after the city solicitor advises whether issuing a helper/apprentice card to a minor, under the circumstances described by Shulkem, would expose the city to liability or conflict with state labor restrictions.
