{"id":5652,"date":"2023-02-12T06:03:05","date_gmt":"2023-02-12T12:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=5652"},"modified":"2023-02-12T06:03:09","modified_gmt":"2023-02-12T12:03:09","slug":"its-just-crazy-republicans-attack-us-child-labor-laws-as-violations-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=5652","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s just crazy\u2019: Republicans attack US child labor laws as violations rise<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Changes lawmakers are seeking, such as expanding types of approved work, will potentially \u2018put kids in dangerous situations\u2019
\nAs child labor law violations have been on the rise in the US, some state legislators are pushing for changes at state and federal levels to roll back protections in what some see as a threat to return child labor to the country.
\nThe laws aim to expand permissible work hours, broaden the types of jobs young workers are permitted to do, and shield employers from liability for injuries, illnesses or workplace fatalities involving very young workers.
\nChild labor law violations have increased in the US, with a 37% increase in fiscal year 2022, including 688 children working in hazardous conditions, with the number likely much higher as the recorded violations stem from what was found during labor inspections.
\nThe Department of Labor issued a press release in July 2022 noting child labor violations and investigations have increased since 2015.
\nSeveral high-profile investigations involving child labor have been exposed over the past year, including the use of child labor in Hyundai and Kia supply chains in Alabama, at JBS meatpacking plants in Nebraska and Minnesota, and at fast-food chains including McDonald\u2019s, Dunkin Donuts and Chipotle.
\nAmid these increases in child labor violations, legislative efforts have been introduced in several states to roll back child labor protections.
\nIn Iowa, Republican legislators introduced a bill in January to expand the types of work 14- and 15-year-olds would be permitted to do as part of approved training programs, extend allowable work hours, and exempt employers from liability if these young workers are sickened, injured or killed on the job.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s just crazy to me that we are re-litigating a lot of things that seem to have been settled 100, 120 or 140 years ago,\u201d said Charlie Wishman, president of the Iowa AFL-CIO, which is opposing the bill.
\nWishman added: \u201cAll of these protections have been put in place for a reason. Child labor law is there to make sure that kids are working in age-appropriate work activities or occupations that are appropriate for their age. We think this is a rewrite of our child labor laws in Iowa that are going way, way, way too far and has the potential to put kids in dangerous situations.\u201d
\nThe bill would permit the director of Iowa workforce development or the Iowa department of education to grant exceptions from any provision that restricts the types of jobs 14- and 15-year-olds can do if the work is classified as part of a work-based learning program and also strips workers\u2019 compensation rights for these workers.
\nThe protections being sought for companies are of particular concern to labor activists.
\n\u201cIn the Iowa legislation, one of the provisions is to exempt employers from civil liability due to the company\u2019s negligence. It is astounding that they would have the gall to knowingly acknowledge that more young people will be harmed, but focus on exempting businesses,\u201d said Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, co-executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.
\nGoldstein-Gelb explained that throughout her career she has worked with families and co-workers of young workers who have died on the job, oftentimes in violation of child labor laws that industry groups have fought to repeal, such as in a case where a 16-year-old in Massachusetts was killed in 2000 while operating a golf cart on the job.
\nYoung workers have much higher rates of non-fatal injuries on the job and the highest rates of injuries that require emergency department attention, Goldstein-Gelb noted. She argued that due to the vulnerability and inexperience of young workers, data on these workers is likely an undercount due to fears or barriers in being able to speak up and report dangerous situations or child labor law violations.
\n\u201cI think there is this myth that you need to put young people in any possible job because there are openings. I think we are moving into a new age where we need to recognize that workers of all ages are seeking to earn a sustainable living and not put themselves in harm\u2019s way,\u201d added Goldstein-Gelb. \u201cThat\u2019s why there are workers taking actions around the country and that needs to be supported rather than just saying we\u2019re going to find people who have no alternative, the most vulnerable, and put them in jobs that are completely inappropriate.\u201d
\nOther states are currently or have pushed similar legislation to roll back child labor protections.
\nIn Ohio, legislators reintroduced a bipartisan bill this year to extend working hours for 14- and 15-year-olds with permission from a parent or legal guardian, and called on Congress to adopt the same rollbacks at the federal level.
\nLegislators in Minnesota introduced a bill in January 2023 to extend work hours for 14- and 15-year-olds.
\nRepublicans in Wisconsin passed a bill that was vetoed by Governor Tony Evers in this month that would have expanded work hours for 14- and 15-year-olds. The New Jersey governor, Phil Murphy, signed a similar law in 2022 that expanded work hours for 14- and 15-year-olds to work longer hours during summer months and on holidays and expanded allowable work hours for 16- and 17-year-olds.
\nAt the federal level, Republican congressman Dave Joyce of Ohio drafted a bill in 2022 to expand working hours for 14- and 15-year-olds during periods when school is in session.
\nAdvocates for legislative efforts to roll back child labor regulations have cited labor shortages, particularly in industries that rely on young workers, and have been strongly backed by the National Federation of Independent Business.
\n\u201cWe think these laws are really ill advised and just asking kids to have negative educational impacts,\u201d said Reid Maki, director of child labor issues and coordinator at the Child Labor Coalition, who argued it took significant efforts to enact child labor laws over 100 years ago, when there were thousands of children working long hours in unsafe jobs such as factories and mines.
\nMaki added: \u201cNow there are states that want to go back toward that direction to deal with labor shortages by using teens, even to the extent of placing them in dangerous work environments \u2013 [it] doesn\u2019t make sense. It\u2019s disregarding their welfare.\u201d
\nHe argued that child labor laws in the US need to be strengthened and updated, including closing existing loopholes that permit young workers, some as young as 12 years old, to work unlimited hours in many jobs in the agriculture industry with parental permission when school is not in session.
\nAn estimated 300,000 to 500,000 minors work in the US agriculture industry annually, with 48% of all young worker fatalities between 2001 to 2015 occurring in the agriculture industry.
\n\u201cIn my office, we can\u2019t bring in a 12-year-old to make copies, 12 is too young, but we will take that same 12-year-old and put them in a field. The actual law allows them to work unlimited hours as long as school is not in session,\u201d added Maki. \u201cThere is basically no protection.\u201d
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Tags:attack<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Changes lawmakers are seeking, such as expanding types of approved work, will potentially \u2018put kids in dangerous situations\u2019 As child labor law violations have been on the rise in the US, some state legislators are pushing for changes at state and federal levels to roll back protections in what some see as a threat to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1152],"tags":[2176,1507],"class_list":["post-5652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humanrights","tag-child","tag-labor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5652"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5654,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5652\/revisions\/5654"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}