Current:Home > StocksOn Labor Day, think of the children working graveyard shifts right under our noses -DataFinance
On Labor Day, think of the children working graveyard shifts right under our noses
View
Date:2025-04-11 19:25:58
It may seem counterintuitive to suggest that, on Labor Day, we devote our attention to a subset of the American population who should not be working, or at least not working in jobs that are entirely inappropriate for them. Children.
According to the Department of Labor, the number of minors involved in documented child labor violations (not including the ones that are never reported) increased a mind-boggling 472% between 2015 and 2023, with teenagers working late night shifts, too many hours and working in hazardous environments.
It's not hard to speculate that, as labor shortages have worsened in this country, employers are turning to those under 18 to fill those gaps.
It's not supposed to be this way.
Child labor violations are on the rise
Back in the early 20th century industrialization era, children made up a large portion of the labor force in factories and mines. This led to inhumane abuses and demands by groups like the National Consumers League to institute legal protections.
Congress responded by passing the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938, which, among other provisions, limited the number of hours a minor could work, reduced their exposure to unsafe jobs and ensured they didn’t have to work during the hours they should be in school.
I escaped modern slavery.Wouldn't you want to know if I made your shirt?
This was a historic achievement for the National Consumers League, now celebrating its 125th anniversary. However, it’s a bitter reality that the organization is once again having to make child labor reforms an urgent priority.
Despite the safeguards of the the Fair Labor Standards Act, recent news reports highlight the alarming rise of child labor violations across the United States, accompanied by a predominantly Republican and industry-led effort to attack state labor laws with the goal of weakening the FLSA.
Over the past three years, 28 states have introduced bills to weaken child labor laws and a dozen states have enacted them, the Economic Policy Institute reported in February.
Instead of protecting kids, lawmakers work to take safety nets away
What is incomprehensible is that, instead of trying to correct a situation that is so obviously wrong, efforts have been made to weaken restrictions on hazardous work for teenagers and to extend the number of hours they can be called upon to work.
Instead of trying to protect children, lawmakers are answering the calls of industry to make it easier for them to be exploited.
Trafficked as a minor:Judge sends sex trafficking victim who fought back to prison. How is that justice?
Children fall asleep in school today because they’ve come straight to class from working graveyard shifts. Teachers have contacted authorities when they found chemical burns on students’ limbs. A teenager had to have both legs amputated after an industrial accident while working for a construction company.
In May, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that a Tennessee-based cleaning company has agreed to pay nearly $650,000 in civil penalties after federal investigators found the company employed at least 24 children at two slaughtering and meatpacking facilities.
And just this month, a 16-year-old was electrocuted while working a roofing job.
We implore lawmakers to toughen existing penalties for employers who choose to ignore the law and exploit and endanger children.
On this Labor Day, it is right and necessary to ask our policymakers to renew their commitment to the health, safety and well-being of all our children ‒ and recognize their value as a part of this country’s future instead of as a cheap source of labor.
Sally Greenberg is the CEO of the National Consumers League and chair of The Child Labor Coalition.
veryGood! (35)
Related
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Taylor Swift pauses London Eras Tour show briefly during 'Red' era: 'We need some help'
- Real Housewives' Porsha Williams Says This $23.99 Dress is a 'Crazy Illusion' That Hides Bloating
- American arrested in Turks and Caicos over ammo in carry-on bag gets suspended sentence of 13 weeks
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Dollar Tree left lead-tainted applesauce on shelves for weeks after recall, FDA says
- Man accused of killing 7 at suburban Chicago July 4 parade might change not-guilty plea
- Nelly and Ashanti secretly married 6 months ago
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Everything you need to know about USA TODAY 301 NASCAR race this weekend in New Hampshire
Ranking
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- New state program aims to put 500,000 acres of Montana prairie under conservation leases
- Taylor Swift pauses London Eras Tour show briefly during 'Red' era: 'We need some help'
- Music Review: An uninhibited Gracie Abrams finds energy in the chaos on ‘The Secret of Us’
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Burned out? Experts say extreme heat causes irritation, stress, worsens mental health
- Thunder trade guard Josh Giddey to Bulls for Alex Caruso, AP source says
- Trump to campaign in Virginia after first presidential debate
Recommendation
McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
Ex-Florida law enforcement official says he was forced to resign for defying illegal DeSantis orders
Karen Derrico Shares Family Update Amid Divorce From Deon Derrico
Climate activists arrested for spray-painting private jets orange at London airport
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
Music Review: An uninhibited Gracie Abrams finds energy in the chaos on ‘The Secret of Us’
Inmate asks court to block second nitrogen execution in Alabama
Perfect Match’s Jess Vestal and Harry Jowsey Reveal What Went Wrong in Romance Off Camera