Kids could fill labor shortages, even in bars, if these lawmakers succeed
Lawmakers in several states are looking to loosen child labor laws, even as the federal government cracks down on surging violations. Lawmakers in several states are considering relaxing child labor laws to address worker shortages, which are driving up wages and contributing to inflation. The proposals include allowing 14-year-olds to serve alcohol in bars and restaurants as young as 14, while 16- and 17-years-olds can also work in dangerous fields. Wisconsin would have the lowest such limit nationwide if it passed, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Other strategies include incentivizing older workers to delay retirement, expanding opportunities for formerly incarcerated people and making child-care more affordable.
Published : 11 months ago by HARM VENHUIZEN Associated Press/Report for America in Business
MADISON, Wis. — Lawmakers in several states are embracing legislation to let children work in more hazardous occupations, for more hours on school nights and in expanded roles, including serving alcohol in bars and restaurants as young as 14.
Lawmakers proposed loosening child labor laws in at least 10 states over the past two years, according to a report published last month by the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. Some bills became law, while others were withdrawn or vetoed.
Legislators in Wisconsin and Ohio are considering relaxing child labor laws to address worker shortages, which are driving up wages and contributing to inflation. Employers have struggled to fill open positions after a spike in retirements, deaths and illnesses from COVID-19, decreases in legal immigration and other factors.
Bringing more children into the labor market is, of course, not the only way to solve the problem. Economists point to several other strategies the country can employ to alleviate the labor crunch without asking kids to work more hours or in dangerous settings.
The most obvious is allowing more legal immigration, which is politically divisive but has been a cornerstone of the country’s ability to grow for years in the face of an aging population. Other strategies could include incentivizing older workers to delay retirement, expanding opportunities for formerly incarcerated people and making child-care more affordable, so that parents have greater flexibility to work.
In Wisconsin, lawmakers are backing a proposal to allow 14-year-olds to serve alcohol in bars and restaurants. If it passed, Wisconsin would have the lowest such limit nationwide, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The Ohio Legislature is on track to pass a bill allowing students ages 14 and 15 to work until 9 p.m. during the school year with their parents’ permission. That's later than federal law allows, so a companion measure asks the U.S. Congress to amend its own laws.
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, students that age can only work until 7 p.m. during the school year. Congress passed the law in 1938 to stop children from being exposed to dangerous conditions and abusive practices in mines, factories, farms and street trades.
On Friday, Reynolds signed a bill into law that allows teenagers to work more jobs and for longer hours. It would let 16- and 17-year-olds work in areas such as manufacturing, though with conditions. That means teens could operate power saws or join in demolition. The new rules also allow 16- and 17-year-olds to serve alcohol in restaurants with written permission from a parent or guardian.
The Legislature approved the measure earlier this month with only Republican support. Republicans dropped provisions that would have allowed children aged 14 and 15 to work in dangerous fields including mining, logging and meatpacking. They kept some provisions the Labor Department says violate federal law, including allowing children as young as 14 to briefly work in freezers and meat coolers, and extending work hours in industrial laundries and assembly lines.
“There’s no reason why anyone should have to get the government’s permission to get a job,” Republican Arkansas Rep. Rebecca Burkes, who sponsored the bill to eliminate child work permits, said on the House floor. “This is simply about eliminating the bureaucracy that is required and taking away the parent’s decision about whether their child can work.”