Child labor laws are under attack in states across the country

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

At a time when serious child labor violations are on the rise in hazardous meatpacking and manufacturing jobs, several state legislatures are weakening—or threatening to weaken—child labor protections. The trend reflects a coordinated multi-industry push to expand employer access to low-wage labor and weaken state child labor laws in ways that contradict federal protections, in pursuit of longer-term industry-backed goals to rewrite federal child labor laws and other worker protections for the whole country. Children of families in poverty, and especially Black, brown, and immigrant youth, stand to suffer the most harm from such changes.

Summary of findings

Both violations of child labor laws and proposals to roll back child labor protections are on the rise across the country. The number of minors employed in violation of child labor laws increased 37% in the last year and at least 10 states introduced or passed laws rolling back child labor protections in the past two years.

Attempts to weaken state-level child labor standards are part of a coordinated campaign backed by industry groups intent on eventually diluting federal standards that cover the whole country.

Youth labor force participation declines over the past 20 years reflect that a steadily growing share of young people are choosing to complete high school and obtain additional education in order to increase their long-term employability and earnings. Putting off work in order to obtain more skills and education is a positive trend—for both individuals and the economy—not one that should be slowed or reversed.

https://www.epi.org/publication/child-labor-laws-under-attack/?mc_cid=dbc2f80606&mc_eid=56485f06ea

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Well, those who espouse children to work should themselves, be retired from govt service, and

then be forced to actually work in the labor force, since they're so gung-ho in getting children to work.

In order to get a better educated workforce, these children won't be able to work as much as these thugs want them to, after all, to them, College and beyond is a waste. What I'd like to know, is how do they expect our society in the future to be able to code better software, develop better machinery, get more doctors, lawyers, etc. in the future workforce?

We all know that many careers do require advanced engineering, medical, in the area of software/hardware development, etc. degrees. Last I heard, a medical degree I think takes 12 years (internships too). And of course all of this takes money, a lot of money (and time to do studying, internships that are required for some degrees, etc.), when are these people supposed to 'work'?

[haele]

2. Well, It's "those people's children" that should be working and not finishing school.

It's bad enough women are competing for jobs that should belong to the men of the elite and demi - elite, we can't also throw those uppity "people" into the competition too.

Don't you know?



Mediocre members of the Lucky Vagina club can't stand to be shown up by those who really want to work for a good job.

Hawle

[gratuitous]

3. That's how tight the labor market is

For more than 40 years, employers have enjoyed the upper hand in relations with their workers. "Oh, you don't want to work and unpredictable schedule for low wages? There's five guys waiting to be hired right now who will work harder and longer for less money. You're lucky you have a job!"

Since coming out of quarantine, employers have found that the old rules don't apply so much anymore. A lot of workers who were close to retiring found that they could live tolerably well without going in to work every day. Might have less money on hand, but life was far more enjoyable. There's also the inadvertent down-sizing of the work force by Covid-19 and cutting off the stream of undocumented labor from countries south of the border.

We're at full employment now, and dissatisfied workers are finding out that their labor is a bit more valuable than employers were willing to admit since the early 1980s. If you're going to be in a roughly analogous work situation, why not go to the employer who's paying three dollars more an hour? Or the one who will set a fixed schedule for you so you can reliably plan your days off?

"Nobody wants to work anymore!" Boy, did that complaint age badly from bad employers. Nobody wants to work for the crap pay you're offering, Skeezix. Workers have discovered that there can be big differences from employer to employer. What are bad employers to do? Child labor! Yeah, that's the ticket. Under age workers aren't going to be forming unions, they have no work experience to compare their situation to. They're unsophisticated enough to believe employers and their scare tactics. At least for a while.

Young people today are far savvier than I was at that age many many years ago. They'll talk to each other (okay, they'll text and Snapchat each other). They don't have that "don't talk about your salary" taboo us oldsters have. Even this retrograde legislation isn't going to save bad work places that want to overwork and underpay the help. At least, not for very long.

There's a sea change happening right now, and conservatives are badly prepared for a new generation of workers who will have no fear of telling an employer to get stuffed.