The child labor bill that puts kids to work in unsafe working conditions has been found to violate federal law.
John —
The child labor bill that puts kids to work in unsafe working conditions has been found to violate federal law. The original, introduced legislation would have allowed children to work in meatpacking plants and mines. In a letter from the federal Department of Labor, two top officials cite several provisions that remain in the final legislation that are illegal under federal guidelines.
Some of those provisions allow 14 year olds to work until 11 PM and work in industrial laundries.
We know this won’t fix the thousands of people who are choosing to leave Iowa every day or the worker shortage apparent on every main street in the state. This bill was about exploiting kids for cheap labor.
This bill takes Iowa in the wrong direction. We want Iowa kids to have enriching work experiences that get them ready for lifelong careers, but the bill passed by Senate Republicans opens the door for exploitation and dangerous work that could get Iowa kids hurt or even killed.
