Thread by @MorePerfectUS

It’s hard to keep track of all the child labor news in the U.S. right now.

We never thought we’d be saying that, but here we are.

How did we get here, and what is going on??

We tried to answer that for you all in one thread.

🧵

Child labor used to be common across the U.S. Children worked in factories and mines for low wages, and enslaved children worked in homes and on plantations.

After decades of activism the Federal Government started to outlaw child labor in 1938 with the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The FLSA established the first federal minimum wage, limited the workweek to 44 hours, and laid out the first federal child labor laws.

But now lawmakers (and the corporations that fund them) are trying to drag us backwards. 11 states have introduced legislation to weaken child… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

In Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill into law that dramatically expands the ability of companies to employ children under 16. The state doesn’t even have to verify the age of children under 16 before they take a job.
npr.org/2023/03/10/116…

In New Jersey, Governor Murphy signed Assembly Bill No. 4222 into law, which would corporations employ teens work up to 50 hours/week, lengthen the time between mandatory breaks, and remove parental and school district consent to work.

A Minnesota bill was introduced that would lift restrictions on hazardous work and extend work hours. Specifically, it would roll back requirements that bar 16- and-17-year-olds from working in construction.
wdio.com/front-page/loc…

In 2022, Nebraskans voted to increase the minimum wage from $9 to $10.50 by the end of the year.

This year, a Republican state senator introduced a subminimum wage for workers aged 14-17, also called a “youth minimum wage,” an alarming euphemism.
update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=33200

In New Hampshire, lawmakers voted to extend work hours for teens, allowing 48 hours of work/week in the summer and 35 hours/week during the school year. The legislation also lowered the age to bus tables where alcohol is served from 15- to 14-years-old.

It was supported by the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

In Ohio, 14- and 15-year-olds can now work until 9pm year-round.

GOP State Senator Bill Reineke blamed parents for stifling their children's careers: “I am concerned about that, in the long term, those kids who really want to do something with their lives, want to get a job, can… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

But nothing can compete with Iowa.

There, a Republican bill, which passed the Senate this morning at 4:52am, lets 14-year-olds work 6-hour night shifts, 15-year-olds work on assembly lines, and 16- and 17-year-olds serve alcohol.

One clause would permit teenagers to work in… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Do politicians really think kids need a better work ethic? Or do corporations want cheap labor? Let’s look at who backs it.

The Iowa Restaurant Association, a local lobbying group, is funded by Sysco and Performance Food Service, both of which are bankrolled by BlackRock.

It’s… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Child labor violations have exploded since the start of the pandemic — up 37% last year. Instead of cracking down, states are lining up to legalize the practices.

Hy-Vee, a midwest grocery chain, is one of the biggest employers in Iowa and one of the biggest proponents of the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Lawmakers have used an ongoing talk of a labor shortage to justify these laws. But instead of raising wages or providing childcare to people who left the workforce, they’re undoing child labor law, allowing corporations to exploit children and deny adults a living wage.

At the same time that GOP lawmakers scapegoat trans people and ban books to “protect kids,” they’ve also voted down gun control and free school lunches, and defunded public schools.

And now they’re topping it off with child labor.

Turns out it wasn’t about the kids after all.

If you want even more info, and there's definitely more, you can find our video on the topic, and the transcript, at the link below.
perfectunion.us/child-labor-is…