Hi,
Republicans are passing legislation to legalize and expand child labor.
New laws in Arkansas and Iowa allow young children to work long hours
without a permit, and similar bills are being proposed in Republican-held
state houses in Missouri and elsewhere. These bills all stem from the same
shadowy right-wing organization called the Foundation for Government
Accountability (FGA).^1
We cannot allow right-wing dark money groups to take us back to the days
of child labor. Right now, the Senate is holding hearings to confirm
President Biden’s new pick for Labor Secretary, Julie Su. Su is a longtime
advocate for pro-labor, pro-union policies, and would be a vital xxxxxx
against the Republican-led return to child labor.^2
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition: Fight child labor - confirm Julie Su as Secretary of
Labor!
ADD YOUR NAME
Child labor violations have been on the rise in the United States for
years. Since 2018, the Labor Department reported a 69 percent increase in
minors employed in violation of federal law.^1 A recent New York Times
investigation found children illegally employed in factories, meat
processing plants, and farms all over the country, often producing
products for huge corporations.^3
President Biden has pledged to use federal agencies to crack down on child
labor. But Republicans and the FGA have responded by attempting to further
legalize and expand the practice. Their new child labor expansion bills
would even make it more difficult to enforce existing federal child labor
laws.
Julie Su is perfectly suited to fight the rise in child labor. As a
lawyer, she successfully represented Thai garment workers in Los Angeles
who had been trafficked and were being held in slavery by their employer.
The landmark case led to the passage of California laws to reform the
garment industry and end sweatshop abuses, and eventually to the United
States’ first anti-trafficking laws. And that was just the start of Su’s
career–since then, she has remained a powerful and effective champion for
workers’ rights.^2
Unsurprisingly, conservatives are opposing Su’s nomination. They don’t
want to see such a strong advocate for workers at the head of the Labor
Department. We need to make sure they know that we have Julie Su’s back.
[ [link removed] ]Add your name: We support labor champion Julie Su for Labor Secretary!
Thanks for taking action,
Joey and the team at Demand Progress
[ [link removed] ]DONATE
Sources:
1. Washington Post, "The conservative campaign to rewrite child labor
laws,” [ [link removed] ]April 23, 2023.
2. Guardian, " The landmark sweatshop case that shaped Biden’s labor
secretary pick,” [ [link removed] ]April 25, 2023.
3. New York Times, "As Migrant Children Were Put to Work, U.S. Ignored
Warnings,” [ [link removed] ]April 17, 2023.
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