{"id":8676,"date":"2024-02-07T17:00:25","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T22:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/?p=8676"},"modified":"2024-02-07T14:07:27","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T19:07:27","slug":"making-child-labor-great-again-an-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Child Labor Rescue America From Labor Shortages? An Update"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"firstcharacter\">I <\/span>have (unfortunately) <a href=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/category\/child-labor\/\">written often<\/a> about the growing scourge of child labor &#8212; especially in dangerous food processing industry &#8212;\u00a0 as well as kids working in construction and as roofers, now one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2023\/12\/14\/us\/roofing-children-immigrants.html\">most common<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC10141679\/\">most dangerou<\/a>s jobs for immigrant children.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is getting worse, with more states &#8212; backed by right-wing think tanks &#8212; simultaneously <em>creating<\/em> labor shortages by making it harder for undocumented immigrants to work, while attempting to <em>solve<\/em> the labor shortage by making it easier to bring more kids into the workforce.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The biggest new &#8220;news&#8221; (although there&#8217;s really nothing &#8220;new&#8221; about it) is the growing awareness of child labor problems in the nation&#8217;s fast food franchise industry. Last month, the <a href=\"https:\/\/wapo.st\/47LdXYE\">Washington Post<\/a> published an analysis of federal data showing that\u00a0 &#8220;The fast-food industry is fueling a surge in child labor violations across the United States, especially at companies with franchised locations<b>\u00a0<\/b>such as McDonald\u2019s, Sonic and Chick-fil-A.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Since the widespread labor shortages of the pandemic, fast-food companies have illegally scheduled thousands of teenagers to work late and long hours and to operate dangerous kitchen equipment, The Post found. In some cases, companies have hired children 13 or younger \u2014 violating 1930s-era laws designed<b>\u00a0<\/b>to protect their safety and educational opportunities.<b>\u00a0<\/b>Federal law prohibits 14- and 15-year-olds from working past 7 p.m. and more than three hours on school nights.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the Post&#8217;s findings include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Child labor violations have more than tripled in the past 10 years, with violations in food service increasing almost sixfold<\/li>\n<li>Minors ages 14 and 15 who work<b>\u00a0<\/b>longer or later hours than legally permitted made up nearly three-quarters of the federal violations in food service between 2020 and the end of September.<\/li>\n<li>Major chains that depend on the franchise business model have much higher rates of violations than those that don\u2019t. McDonald\u2019s has averaged 15 violations per 100 stores since 2020, but only in franchised stores. None were found at its corporate-owned stores.\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_8734\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8734\" style=\"width: 367px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-8734\" src=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-05-122518.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"367\" height=\"247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-05-122518.png 614w, https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-05-122518-300x202.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 367px) 100vw, 367px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8734\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2024\/02\/02\/teen-job-child-labor-laws-violations\/\">Washington Post<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Franchised models may have higher rates of child labor violations. Why?<\/p>\n<div class=\"wpds-c-PJLV article-body grid-center grid-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overrideStyles font-copy\" dir=\"null\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\" data-testid=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\">Labor experts say that franchised chains have higher rates of violations than corporate-run chains because they<b>\u00a0<\/b>are less invested in preserving a brand\u2019s reputation. They are also under pressure to keep labor costs low to make up for steep operating costs, especially franchise fees,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sba.gov\/blog\/franchise-fees-why-do-you-pay-them-how-much-are-they\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0which can range from $20,000 to $100,000 or more for multiple locations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpds-c-PJLV article-body grid-center grid-body\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overrideStyles font-copy\" dir=\"null\" data-testid=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\">\u201cThe franchise model is a major factor in child labor violations because it incentivizes a race to the bottom in terms of labor standards,\u201d said Nina Mast, an economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute who researches child labor laws.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">McDonalds is the worst offender with more than 2,300 violations since 2013. But no worries, that&#8217;s more than it seems: &#8220;McDonald\u2019s said that number is small considering it has nearly 14,000 stores and employs some 800,000 workers nationwide.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Good to know.<\/p>\n<h2>Republicans: Quit whining. Child Labor is Good For You<\/h2>\n<p>Republicans don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s anything wrong with all of this. In fact, in some states, as you can read below, they&#8217;re weakening, instead of strengthening child labor protections.<\/p>\n<p>The most upsetting thing is the twisted reasoning they create to make more child labor sound reasonable.<\/p>\n<p>One Florida legislator, justifying legislation that would loosen controls on child labor, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MorePerfectUS\/status\/1749885068133450171?s=20\">blames limitations on child labor<\/a> for &#8220;weakening our society.&#8221; Kids should start working full time like he did at 13 years old. The sponsor of the Florida bill claims that the bill doesn&#8217;t affect &#8220;children,&#8221; just &#8220;youths&#8221; who 16 and 17 years old and are able to drive cars. And Florida allegedly has better protections against hazardous working conditions than the feds. (Anyone who can identify these superior protections, please let me know.)<\/p>\n<p>But according to David Weil, a former Labor Department official and current professor at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, \u201cThese are serious violations of the law. These laws are not simply arbitrary. They\u2019re built around the fact that, as a society, we want children first and foremost to get educated so that they can live a life where they have the skills and training to have good jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even the laws that currently exist are not sufficient to protect kids, as one Florida teacher<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MorePerfectUS\/status\/1749886658533802020?s=20\"> related<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><em>\u201cTo think that 70 years ago, we had 17-year-olds storming beaches in Normandy, but here today they can&#8217;t climb a six foot ladder. I think those concerns are wildly overblown.\u201d<\/em> &#8212; Florida Rep. Spencer Roach<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But Republicans think allowing kids to work more hours on school nights isn&#8217;t a problem. In fact, it builds character:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201cI can\u2019t believe that taking away the 30-hour requirement is such a gigantic ordeal. It\u2019s not. I would say 99% of the kids probably won\u2019t ever work past 30 hours in a week. They have other things to do; they have their social lives, their school, time with parents and friends. But our kids are not victims,\u201d Republican Rep. Jeff Holcomb of Hernando and Pasco counties. \u201cThey can defend themselves, and guess what? They can talk to their parents if they have issues. They\u2019re gonna learn time management, work ethic, and they\u2019ll learn the value of a dollar.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8747\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8747\" style=\"width: 437px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-8747\" src=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/main-qimg-2176e2c10465367a3820b10cd5fb926b.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"437\" height=\"313\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/main-qimg-2176e2c10465367a3820b10cd5fb926b.jpeg 602w, https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/main-qimg-2176e2c10465367a3820b10cd5fb926b-300x215.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 437px) 100vw, 437px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8747\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Omaha Beach, 1944: Republicans&#8217; vision of kids working in Florida.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And the government and woke libs are just trying to make kids into wimps, according to Rep. Spencer Roach, a Florida Republican legislator: \u201cTo think that 70 years ago, we had 17-year-olds storming beaches in Normandy, but here today they can&#8217;t climb a six foot ladder. I think those concerns are wildly overblown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response to Florida Democrats&#8217; opposition to Republicans&#8217; efforts to <a href=\"https:\/\/subscriber.politicopro.com\/article\/2024\/02\/florida-house-passes-bill-loosening-child-labor-laws-00139198\">weaken child labor protections<\/a>,<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\" data-v-20294bdc=\"\">GOP Rep. Linda Chaney \u2014 the bill&#8217;s sponsor \u2014 pushed back against Democrats&#8217; concerns by stressing the need for teenagers to learn career skills while supporting their families financially.\u00a0&#8220;This bill is about choice and opportunity for families,&#8221; Cheney said. &#8220;I trust that our families and that our teens will make the right choice for them in their own individual situation.&#8221;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><sup><strong>1<\/strong><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The fatal flaw in their reasoning is their willful failure to recognize\u00a0 power politics in the workplace: the assumption that kids have control over their work lives. But for the working kids, there&#8217;s not so much free choice.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, the law may limit the number of hours a kid can work on school nights, but if the employer says &#8220;You work ten more hours this week, or you work zero hours next week,&#8221; what&#8217;s a kid who really needs the money going to do?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">The fatal flaw in their reasoning is Republicans&#8217; willful failure to recognize\u00a0 power politics in the workplace: the assumption that kids have control over their work lives. But in reality, for the working kids, there&#8217;s not so much free choice.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Sure, the law may limit the number of hours a kid can work on school nights, but if the employer says &#8220;You work ten more hours this week, or you work zero hours next week,&#8221; what&#8217;s a kid who really needs the money going to do?<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"wpds-c-PJLV article-body grid-center grid-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p dir=\"null\" data-testid=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\">Kids reported that when they complained about the long hours and late-night scheduling, their supervisors threatened to fire them if they didn&#8217;t work more hours, blaming them for not being able to <a href=\"https:\/\/wapo.st\/47LdXYE\">manage their time<\/a> so that they can keep up with school and work.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"null\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\" data-testid=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\">In June, a group of teens filed a complaint with the California Labor Commissioner\u2019s Office about working excessive hours at one McDonald\u2019s in East Los Angeles. California is among states that regulate hours for all high school students under 18 years old, prohibiting work past 10 p.m. and more than four hours on school nights.\u00a0\u201cWe want to work, but we don\u2019t want to work during school hours,\u201d the teens wrote.<\/p>\n<p>17-year old Auxmary Valdez fears that if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlrn.org\/government-politics\/2024-01-31\/florida-child-labor-law-hb49\">Florida legislation<\/a> allowing longer working hours for kids becomes law, employers<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">will simply ask teenagers to work more and more hours \u2014 because they can. She fears the bill would lead to some tough choices for teenagers like herself trying to finish high school.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201cI would have to find a way to either call off at work or cut back my extracurriculars and lower my chances at college. Like \u2014 lower my admissions chances by not being as involved in those clubs,\u201d she said. \u201cIn the end, it&#8217;s education or money. And you do need an education to make money in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201cI don&#8217;t really appreciate how these representatives are throwing us into corporate America,\u201d added Valdez.<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"null\" data-testid=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\">Labor Shortages: Why Are We Making Child Labor Great Again?<\/h2>\n<p>Republicans are exploiting recent changes in the U.S. economy arguing that the only way to address economy-crippling labor shortages is to expand the labor force by letting children work.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/wapo.st\/47LdXYE\">Washington Post<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Child labor violations have ballooned amid a historically tight labor market that emerged after the height of the\u00a0<a class=\"contextual_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/coronavirus\/?itid=lk_inline_manual_18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">coronavirus<\/a>\u00a0pandemic. Millions of service sector workers\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2023\/02\/03\/worker-shortage-restaurants-hotels-economy\/?itid=lk_inline_manual_18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">abandoned riskier, public-facing jobs at fast-food chains and other restaurants<\/a>\u00a0for better-paying and less-grueling opportunities. Teenagers stepped up to fill the gap,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2022\/07\/22\/millennials-genz-teen-jobs\/?itid=lk_inline_manual_18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">marking<\/a>\u00a0a generational shift in attitudes toward working in high school. As inflation soared, many teenagers said, they wanted to help their families pay skyrocketing rent, groceries and utility bills.<\/p>\n<p>The increasing number of unaccompanied minors coming to the United States and young people looking to help support their families have contributed to this rise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>But could part of the problem be of Republicans&#8217; own making? Possibly by encouraging such low wages in the retail food industry that grown-up workers are fleeing the industry to find higher paying jobs?<\/p>\n<p>So, solve the problem by raising wages? Nah!<\/p>\n<p>How about addressing the labor shortage by \u201cremoving barriers for minor work authorization,\u201d as a right-wing thinktank called the Alabama Policy Institute (API) <a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/child-labor-could-solve-alabamas-labor-shortage-says-gop-group\/\">called for<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>Sounds good, but<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">In truth, the purported \u201cshortage\u201d of labor that the group describes is nothing of the kind; what Alabama, and the nation, are instead in the midst of is a shortage of employers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The report writers point out gravely that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has labeled Alabama as having among the \u201cmost severe\u201d shortages nationwide. (It stands to reason that this is how a pro-business lobbying organization would frame a lack of people who are willing to work for unlivable wages.) But if job openings are going unfilled, that should come as little surprise in Alabama, which is one of just five states without a state wage floor. That means its minimum wage defaults to the federal rate: $7.25 an hour.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">With the federal wage remaining so pitifully low and decades out of date (according to the Economic Policy Institute, its relative value is at a 66-year nadir), it\u2019s no coincidence that, as the API\u2019s proposal notes, \u201cMany of these job openings are in the retail and food services industries\u201d \u2014 i.e. jobs that pay minimum wage or potentially less, in the case of waitstaff.<\/p>\n<h2>Immigration Bad; Child Labor Good<\/h2>\n<p>Ironically, Republican ideology is facing some unreconcilable contradictions.\u00a0 Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/2024\/01\/19\/aoc-would-rather-sacrifice-child-labor-laws-than-allow-legal-immigration_partner\/\">noted in a Congressional hearing<\/a> that anti-immigrant hysteria is hurting the U.S. economy, part of which is suffering from serious labor shortages. Ocasio Cortez warned that \u201cMany of these Republican legislatures would rather roll back child labor laws and put 11 and 13 year olds back in the workplace than allow immigrants into their community and do what they\u2019ve always done,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Florida, for example, is facing the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/florida-child-labor-law-immigrants-teenager-441b0907feb549a33c89fa51d856661e\">consequence<\/a> of a previously passed law that made it more difficult for <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/new-florida-laws-ron-desantis-158acbdba2e3c68fea498635ed0cb952\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">employers to hire immigrants in the country illegally<\/a>. That law seems to have <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/florida-child-labor-law-immigrants-teenager-441b0907feb549a33c89fa51d856661e\">backfired<\/a> on the state that is heavily dependent on immigrant workers to fill their jobs:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">In a state where the largest industries \u2014 tourism, agriculture and construction \u2014 rely heavily on immigrant labor, there are concerns that the economy could be disrupted when employers are already having a hard time filling open jobs. Florida\u2019s unemployment rate is 2.6%.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Samuel Vilchez Santiago, the American Business Immigration Coalition\u2019s Florida director, said there are 400,000 \u201cundocumented immigrants\u201d working in the state and far fewer applicants than jobs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201cWe are in dire need of workers,\u201d especially in construction, the service industry and agriculture, he said. \u201cSo there is a lot of fear from across the state &#8230; that this new law will actually be devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So what&#8217;s the solution? Finding more exploitable labor. Namely children.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-8763\" src=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/A_help_wanted_ad_for_child_labor_in_United_States_in_early_20th_century.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"246\" height=\"356\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/A_help_wanted_ad_for_child_labor_in_United_States_in_early_20th_century.jpg 413w, https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/A_help_wanted_ad_for_child_labor_in_United_States_in_early_20th_century-207x300.jpg 207w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 246px) 100vw, 246px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This is not a new solution for employer groups. In fact, not much seems to have changed over the past 120 years. In 1905, the National Association of Manufacturers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/opub\/mlr\/2017\/article\/history-of-child-labor-in-the-united-states-part-2-the-reform-movement.htm\">opposed federal legislation<\/a> that would have outlawed the transport in interstate commerce of any articles mined or manufactured by children under 14 years of age:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The chairman of the association lashed out against labor unions, which he saw as behind the move for federal legislation. He remarked, \u201cThis labor union plot against the advancement and the happiness of the American boy&#8230;is also a ploy against industrial expansion and prosperity of the country.\u201d Believing that most children were destined for factory work, he thought the ban on child labor would deprive children of the chance to develop \u201cgood industrial habits.&#8221; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Echoing these sentiments, another opponent of reform remarked, \u201cI say it is a tragic thing to contemplate if the Federal Government closes the doors of the factories and you send that little child back, empty handed; that brave little boy that was looking forward to get money for his mother for something to eat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I guess that&#8217;s what&#8217;s meant by making America &#8220;great&#8221; again.<\/p>\n<h2>Enforcement<\/h2>\n<p>Enforcement of existing child labor laws is not easy.<\/p>\n<p>The Labor Department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2023\/10\/19\/child-labor-violations-2023\/\">reported<\/a> late last year that child labor violations had risen to their highest level in nearly two decades. The <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.dol.gov\/2023\/10\/19\/wage-and-hour-division-working-to-keep-kids-safe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">agency found<\/a> 5,792 minors working in violation of child labor laws in the year ending Sept. 30, an 88 percent increase since 2019. But the federal agency that enforces child labor rules, the Department of Labor&#8217;s Wage and Hour Division, is critically underfunded.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">The Labor Department reported late last year that child labor violations had risen to their highest level in nearly two decades. The <a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.dol.gov\/2023\/10\/19\/wage-and-hour-division-working-to-keep-kids-safe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">agency found<\/a> 5,792 minors working in violation of child labor laws in the year ending Sept. 30, an 88 percent increase since 2019.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>According to NY Times reporter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/show\/how-child-migrants-are-put-to-work-in-unsafe-and-illegal-conditions\">Hannah Dreier<\/a>,<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The Department of Labor is facing historically low staffing levels. Right now, it would take more than 100 years for inspectors to visit every workplace once. The Department of Labor has said in a response to our reporting that it&#8217;s stepping this work up, it&#8217;s trying to open more investigations, that it has opened some investigations in response to things that we found, like kids at certain slaughterhouses, at certain factories.<\/p>\n<p>But that&#8217;s not good enough for Congressional Republicans. \u00a0The Republican-controlled House of Representative\u2019s draft Department of Labor FY 2024 Appropriations bill calls for a 30% <em>cut<\/em>\u00a0in the Wage and Hour Division\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n<p>OSHA is faring almost as poorly. It would take the agency almost 200 years to visit every workplace just once and House Republicans have <a href=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2023\/07\/14\/house-republicans-declare-war-on-workers\/\">proposed a 15% cut<\/a> in OSHA&#8217;s tiny budget.<\/p>\n<p>Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/acting-labor-secretary-companies-must-protect-children-dangerous-jobs-opinion-1866147\">pointed out<\/a> some of the other problems the Department is facing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">To evade responsibility, many large companies, including some well-known brands, have made their supply chains less transparent. They rely on vendors, sub-contractors, and staffing agencies to perform work at their facilities or make their brand-name goods. These downstream companies may skirt or break the law, cut corners, and pocket the difference. When the jobs they offer are low-quality enough that many adults won&#8217;t take them, they may illegally hire children instead. But while big brands may outsource jobs, they can&#8217;t outsource their moral responsibility to keep kids safe. They may face legal liability as well, and in those cases, my agency will seek to hold them accountable.<\/p>\n<p>State officials are also having problems.\u00a0 According to a new audit by the New York state comptroller, state labor officials are <a href=\"https:\/\/gothamist.com\/news\/ny-comptroller-state-child-labor-investigations-lag-in-nyc-as-cases-pile-up\">failing to complete<\/a> most child labor investigations within a reasonable timeframe \u2014 and in some cases are letting them drag on for more than a year. The state labor department reported a 68% increase in child labor violations from 2021 to 2022<\/p>\n<div class=\"wpds-c-PJLV article-body grid-center grid-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osc.ny.gov\/state-agencies\/audits\/2024\/01\/31\/labor-investigations-new-york-city\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">audit<\/a>\u00a0comes amid a national increase in child labor exploitation cases that predates the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials found state Department of Labor investigators did not meet the standard three-month timeline in nearly two-thirds of the 87 cases the comptroller\u2019s office reviewed, including 36 cases that took more than a year to complete or were still actively being investigated.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The comptroller\u2019s office also found the department lacks a process for identifying which child labor cases involve hazardous conditions, such as dangerous chemicals or equipment.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Last month, OSHA cited Mississippi poultry plant <em>Mar-Jac Poultry<\/em> with 14 serious and three other-than-serious violations amounting to <a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" title=\"Mar-Jac Poultry MS, LLC - Copy of citations - PDF\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/sites\/dolgov\/files\/OPA\/newsreleases\/2024\/01\/OSHA20240036.pdf\">$212,646 in penalties<\/a>, following the gruesome death of 16-year old Duvan Tomas P\u00e9rez, who immigrated to the United States from Guatemala about six to seven years ago<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>Despite the enormous obstacles facing enforcement agencies, federal and state agency are enforcing the law, hopefully sending a message to employers.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8758\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8758\" style=\"width: 456px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-8758\" src=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Duvan-Tomas-Perez_cred-Facebook-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"456\" height=\"304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Duvan-Tomas-Perez_cred-Facebook-1024x683-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Duvan-Tomas-Perez_cred-Facebook-1024x683-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Duvan-Tomas-Perez_cred-Facebook-1024x683-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 456px) 100vw, 456px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8758\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Duvan-Tomas-Perez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>Last month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/news\/newsreleases\/national\/01162024\">OSHA cited<\/a> Mississippi poultry plant <strong>Mar-Jac Poultry<\/strong> with 14 serious and three other-than-serious violations amounting to <a title=\"Mar-Jac Poultry MS, LLC - Copy of citations - PDF\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/sites\/dolgov\/files\/OPA\/newsreleases\/2024\/01\/OSHA20240036.pdf\">$212,646 in penalties<\/a>, following the gruesome death of 16-year old Duvan Tomas P\u00e9rez, who immigrated to the United States from Guatemala about six to seven years ago. Perez was cleaning a deboning machine that had not been turned off.\u00a0 He was when he was caught in the machine\u2019s rotating shaft and pulled into it. He was contracted to work at the facility by a staffing company. Most of the violations were for the company&#8217;s failure to comply with OSHA&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/control-hazardous-energy\">Lockout Tagout standard<\/a> which requires hazardous machinery to be turned off and de-energized before employees work on it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">This was the second lockout-tagout fatality at the plant. OSHA had <a title=\"May 31, 2021 inspection details\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/ords\/imis\/establishment.inspection_detail?id=1533848.015\">previously cited Mar-Jac Poultry after a May 31, 2021<\/a>, incident in which an employee&#8217;s shirt sleeve was caught in a machine and they were pulled in, pinning their body against the support and the machine&#8217;s carousel, resulting in fatal injuries.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">&#8220;Following the fatal incident in May 2021 Mar-Jac Poultry should have enforced strict safety standards in its facility,&#8221; Petermeyer added. &#8220;Only about two years later nothing has changed and the company continues to treat employee safety as an afterthought, putting its workers at risk. No worker should be placed in a preventable, dangerous situation, let alone a child.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The Department of Labor&#8217;s Wage and Hour Division, which is in charge of child labor violations, is still investigating.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Last September, OSHA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/news\/newsreleases\/national\/12192023\">cited <strong>\u00a0Florence Hardwoods LLC<\/strong><\/a><strong>,<\/strong> a Wisconsin sawmill, for failing to train teenage and adult workers in safety procedures to prevent dangerous equipment from moving during service and maintenance tasks, after a 16-year-old worker became trapped in a stick stacker machine as he tried to unjam it. He died two days later.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The total penalty was $1.4 million <a title=\"Margaret Minerick - Copy of Citations - PDF\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/sites\/dolgov\/files\/OPA\/newsreleases\/2023\/12\/OSHA20232547%20Florance%20reduced.pdf\">for eight willful, six repeat, 29 serious and four other-than-serious violations of federal safety and health regulations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Again, the main problem was violations of OSHA&#8217;s Lockout-Tagout standard. And again, this was not the company&#8217;s first violation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">Since 2019, at least five employees of Florence Hardwoods, Sagola Hardwoods and Minerick Logging have suffered serious injuries due to lockout failures, including a fatality at Minerick Logging where a worker suffered fatal injuries while servicing a trailer in 2019.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">&#8220;It is incomprehensible how the owners of this company could have such disregard for the safety of these children,&#8221; said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker. &#8220;Their reckless and illegal behavior tragically cost a boy his life, and actions such as theirs will never be tolerated.&#8221;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A Southern California<a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/business\/story\/2023-12-04\/l-a-poultry-supplier-illegally-employed-children-in-dangerous-jobs-labor-department-says\"> poultry processor<\/a> that supplies grocery stores including Ralphs and Aldi &#8212; <strong>Exclusive Poultry Inc<\/strong>. &#8212; will be forced to <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/newsroom\/releases\/whd\/whd20231204\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pay nearly $3.8 million\u00a0<\/a>in fines and back wages &#8220;after an investigation found the company employing children as young as 14 in dangerous jobs, retaliating against workers who cooperated with investigators and refusing to pay overtime wages.&#8221; the agency said. The children deboned meat with sharp knives and moved pallets with power-driven lifts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Res-Care Workforce Services<\/strong> in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, paid $16,795 in penalties after an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wtaj.com\/news\/local-news\/feds-st-marys-business-found-violating-child-labor-laws\/\">investigation by the DOL<\/a> found that the employment agency employed nine minors aged 14 and 15 outside of permitted hours and using equipment such as an ATV and a pole saw..<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The Department of Labor&#8217;s Wage and Hour Division fined <strong>Apex Roofing and Restoration<\/strong> LLC in Cullman, Alabama $117,175 after a 15-year-old child was killed on his first day on the job after falling 50 feet to the floor below, suffering fractures of the wrist, skull and ribs, among other severe injuries. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Washington state&#8217;s Department of Labor and Industry has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lni.wa.gov\/news-events\/article\/24-01#:~:text=TUMWATER%20%E2%80%94%20A%2016%2Dyear%20old,lost%20both%20legs%20to%20amputation\">cited and fined<\/a> <strong>Rotschy LLC,<\/strong>\u00a0 a construction company, after a 16-year old boy, using a walk-behind trencher to dig a channel for fence posts last summer, was dragged underneath the blade, causing injuries so severe that he lost both legs to <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/teen-loses-both-legs-dragged-underneath-trencher-blade-8550284\">amputation<\/a>. The state issued a willful violation and fined the company $156,259, the maximum penalty available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The kid was participating in a work-based learning program that allows students to earn credit and gain experience working outside the classroom. Rotschy had a student learner exemption permitting minors to do some work that is otherwise prohibited, but use of the walk-behind trencher was not part of the exemption.<\/p>\n<h2>State Action: Back to the Past<\/h2>\n<p>As mentioned above, states have been active in making it easier for children to work long hours or in dangerous jobs. Most of the news is bad, but there have also been some victories.<\/p>\n<p>Many of the state bills violate federal child labor rules which prohibit children younger than 14 from working,\u00a0 prevent minors under 16 from working past 7 p.m. on school nights and 9 p.m. during the summer and prohibit minors of any age from working in hazardous industries.<\/p>\n<p>A recent report by the <a href=\"https:\/\/files.epi.org\/uploads\/263680.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Economic Policy Institute<\/a> finds 10 states have introduced or passed bills weakening child labor standards in the past two years. And this legislation is not just the result of a movement by kids to help support their families. Organizations like the National Restaurant Association and conservative think tanks are writing and lobbying for laws in several states that would either extend hours or times of day that teens can legally work or lower the age requirements for serving alcohol below 18 years.<\/p>\n<p>Behind all of the legislation are shady right-wing think tanks like the Florida-based Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), which drafts state legislation to strip child workplace protections. The<a href=\"https:\/\/wapo.st\/3ug4PO3\"> Washington Post<\/a> reported last year that FGA\u2019s lobbying arm, Opportunity Solutions Project has hired <a href=\"https:\/\/www.followthemoney.org\/entity-details?eid=43656243\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">115 lobbyists across the country with a presence in 22 states<\/a>, according to the nonpartisan political watchdog group OpenSecrets.<\/p>\n<p>More than 70 percent of its $10.6 million in revenue came from 14 conservative groups such as the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation, the Sarah Scaife Foundation and the 85 Fund (associated with right-wing judicial activist <a title=\"Leonard Leo\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Leonard_Leo\">Leonard Leo<\/a>). Groups like the FGA develop prefabricated policy projects for state officials and then provide the research and lobbying support to push proposals through the states&#8217; legislative and administrative processes.<\/p>\n<h3>Florida<\/h3>\n<p>The Florida House <a href=\"https:\/\/subscriber.politicopro.com\/article\/2024\/02\/florida-house-passes-bill-loosening-child-labor-laws-00139198\">passed a bill last week<\/a> that will allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work more than eight hours in a day even if school is the next day, or more than 30 hours a week when school is in session.\u00a0 The legislature had also been considering legislation that would\u00a0 allow teenagers\u00a0 to work in some hazardous professions, including work on roofs and scaffolding up to six feet high. Under public pressure, the bill dropped permission to work on commercial jobs, but they&#8217;re sill allowed to work on residential construction jobs (which are apparently not as dangerous as commercial construction jobs.) Never fear, the Associated Builders and Contractors endorsed the bill. Anything for cheap, exploitable labor. (Florida\u2019s private construction industry, according to federal data, has the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/regions\/southeast\/news-release\/fatalworkinjuries_florida.htm\">highest number of workplace fatalities<\/a>, so no worries.)<\/p>\n<p>Also, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/newsroom\/releases\/whd\/whd20230310#:~:text=The%20orders%20ban%20employers%20from,any%20power%2Ddriven%20woodworking%20machines.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the federal Fair Labor Standards Act<\/a>, prohibits employers from allowing minors under the age of 18 to perform roofing activities and engaging in any work that requires the use of ladders or scaffolds. But states&#8217; rights. Right?<\/p>\n<p>One co-sponsor of the legislation,\u00a0Sen. Keith Perry, who owns a construction company, has a history of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.orlandoweekly.com\/news\/florida-republican-co-sponsor-of-child-labor-bill-owns-company-with-history-of-wage-theft-35974872\"> wage theft<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/ords\/imis\/establishment.inspection_detail?id=1577831.015\">OSHA violations<\/a>.\u00a0 Perry sees no connection between his private roofing business and his support for legislation making it easier for kids to work in construction. Perry admits he has no idea about the injury data regarding kids in construction, but he&#8217;s pretty sure more kids get hurt playing football than working construction. (Note to Sen. Perry. Read this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC10141679\/\">report<\/a> from the National Institute For Occupational Safety and Health which shows that children working on construction sites are six times as likely to be killed on the job compared to minors working elsewhere.)<\/p>\n<p>And Florida kids are too tough to need breaks. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/florida-politics\/2024\/02\/02\/florida-child-labor-rollback-bill-teenagers\/#:~:text=It%20would%20eliminate%20the%20requirement%20that%20teenagers%20be%20granted%20breaks%20every%20four%20hours%20of%20work.%20The%20bill%20says%20teens%20should%20get%20breaks%20in%20the%20same%20manner%20of%20other%20employees%20%E2%80%94%20which%20can%20mean%20no%20breaks.%20Florida%20employers%2C%20under%20law%2C%20are%20not%20required%20to%20offer%20food%20or%20rest%20breaks.\">Florida bill<\/a> would\u00a0&#8220;eliminate the requirement that teenagers be granted breaks every four hours of work.<b>\u00a0<\/b>The bill says teens should get breaks in the same manner of other employees \u2014 which can mean no breaks. Florida employers, under law, are not required to offer food or rest breaks.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Florida kids are too tough to need breaks. The Florida bill would\u00a0&#8220;eliminate the requirement that teenagers be granted breaks every four hours of work.\u00a0The bill says teens should get breaks in the same manner of other employees \u2014 which can mean no breaks. Florida employers, under law, are not required to offer food or rest breaks.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And and argument that will surely infuriate evangelicals by allowing kids to work on the sabbath&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association backs the bill. Samantha Padgett, the<b>\u00a0<\/b>group\u2019s vice president of government relations, said members say current restrictions are outdated and make staffing particularly difficult on Sunday evenings.\u00a0Padgett said that mandated break restrictions<b>\u00a0<\/b>for teens are \u201cespecially challenging in the restaurant space\u201d because they often fall in the middle of a rush period.<\/p>\n<p>Just to put icing on the cake, Florida Republicans also rejected a series of amendments, including provisions that would require employers to report workplace sexual harassment and inform employees of their rights. Because who wants workers &#8212; especially children &#8212; to know their rights? How can that possibly help productivity? Anyway families and kids know best.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, none of this is a problem. Florida <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orlandoweekly.com\/news\/who-enforces-child-labor-law-in-florida-just-7-state-employees-plus-the-feds-35875062\">has a total of seven employees<\/a> dedicated to enforcing child labor law across thousands of job sites.\u00a0 What could go wrong?<\/p>\n<h3>Virginia<\/h3>\n<p>On the other hand, Virginia delegate Holly Seibold has <a href=\"https:\/\/wydaily.com\/latest-news\/2024\/01\/21\/three-interesting-bills-of-the-week-lab-meat-child-labor-penalties-and-sales-in-public-spaces\/\">introduced legislation<\/a> that would increase civil penalties for employers who violate child labor laws.\u00a0Under the bill, the penalty for employing a child who is seriously injured or dies in the course of employment would increase from $10,000 to $25,000. The penalty for each other violation of child labor laws would increase from $1,000 to $2,500.<\/p>\n<h3>Indiana<\/h3>\n<p>Republicans have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indystar.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2024\/01\/23\/these-2024-indiana-bills-would-ease-the-states-child-labor-laws\/72315705007\/\">introduced bills<\/a> in Indiana that would repeal certain requirements on child performers and repeal work hour restrictions for minors ages 16 through 18 But the bill does not prohibit 16 to 18-year-olds from working in \u201chazardous\u201d occupations on farms.\u00a0 Another bill would allow the\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/dol\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|${u}\">state Department of Labor<\/a> to provide waivers to &#8220;student learners&#8221; or apprentices ages 16 and 17 who want to work in certain \u201chazardous\u201d occupations. But never fear, employers. If a kid gets hurt of killed, the bill provides a get-out-of-jail-free card. The bill exempts employers involved in &#8220;work-based learning courses&#8221; from civil liabilities if a student is injured or dies while working at the employer\u2019s business.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that language allowing children to work in the most dangerous jobs (already prohibited by federal law) has be removed from the bill. Provisions denying injured kids access to workers comp or suing their employer if they got injured were also defeated.<\/p>\n<p>According to former OSHA Chief of Staff Debbie Berkowitz who is now a fellow at the <a class=\"site-name\" href=\"https:\/\/lwp.georgetown.edu\/\">Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor<\/a>, the Indiana victory was a result of pressure from a coalition of the state AFL CIO, the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute, workers comp lawyers from the Workers&#8217; Injury Law &amp; Advocacy Group and the Economic Policy Institute.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Indiana victory was a result of pressure from a coalition of the state AFL CIO, the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute, workers comp lawyers from the Workers&#8217; Injury Law &amp; Advocacy Group and the Economic Policy Institute.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Iowa<\/h3>\n<p>Last May, Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill that extends how late 14- and 15-year-olds can work on school nights from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and allows children as young as 14 to take previously prohibited jobs in industrial laundries, roofing and demolition. The bill had the strong backing of the Iowa Restaurant Association and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2023\/04\/23\/child-labor-lobbying-fga\/#:~:text=among%20several%20the-,Foundation%20for%20Government%20Accountability,-is%20maneuvering%20through\">Opportunity Solutions Project<\/a>, the lobbying arm of the Foundation for Government Accountability, a conservative think tank.<\/p>\n<h3>Arkansas<\/h3>\n<p>Last March, Arkansas passed a law that eliminated work permits and age verification for workers younger than 16. The bill was written and supported by the Foundation for Government Accountability. Although the law sounds like just a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2023\/04\/23\/child-labor-lobbying-fga\/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAs%20a%20practical%20matter\">paperwork change<\/a>,<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201cAs a practical matter, this is likely to make it even harder for the state to enforce our own child labor laws,\u201d said Annie B. Smith, director of the University of Arkansas School of Law\u2019s Human Trafficking Clinic. \u201cNot knowing where young kids are working makes it harder for [state departments] to do proactive investigations and visit workplaces where they know that employment is happening to make sure that kids are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Finally, legislation is being considered in states like Florida and Indiana, that would exempt home-schooled kids or drop-outs from many remaining child labor restrictions.\u00a0 What does this mean? Essentially, we&#8217;re going back to the 19th century where kids can just drop out of school and work.<\/p>\n<p>_____________________<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/span>Just as an aside, are Florida Republicans also ready to trust families and women and children to make the right choice when it comes to women&#8217;s health and gender preferences?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I have (unfortunately) written often about the growing scourge of child labor &#8212; especially in dangerous food processing industry &#8212;\u00a0 as well as kids working in construction and as roofers, now one of the most common and most dangerous jobs for immigrant children. The problem is getting worse, with more states &#8212; backed by right-wing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8751,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[279],"tags":[171,142,153,162,129],"class_list":["post-8676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-child-labor","tag-arkansas","tag-florida","tag-indiana","tag-iowa","tag-virginia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Can Child Labor Rescue America From Labor Shortages? An Update - Confined Space<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Republicans and some states continue to see more child labor as a solution to labor shortages created by anti-immigrant hysteria.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can Child Labor Rescue America From Labor Shortages? An Update - Confined Space\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Republicans and some states continue to see more child labor as a solution to labor shortages created by anti-immigrant hysteria.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Confined Space\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-07T22:00:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Pennsylvania-coal-mining-kids-ap.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"907\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jordan Barab\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@jbarab\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@jbarab\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jordan Barab\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"22 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jordan Barab\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bcc6bf185c17840824cfc3ef7522f3c5\"},\"headline\":\"Can Child Labor Rescue America From Labor Shortages? An Update\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-07T22:00:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":5033,\"commentCount\":7,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bcc6bf185c17840824cfc3ef7522f3c5\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/Pennsylvania-coal-mining-kids-ap.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Arkansas\",\"Florida\",\"Indiana\",\"Iowa\",\"Virginia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Child Labor\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/\",\"name\":\"Can Child Labor Rescue America From Labor Shortages? An Update - Confined Space\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/Pennsylvania-coal-mining-kids-ap.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-07T22:00:25+00:00\",\"description\":\"Republicans and some states continue to see more child labor as a solution to labor shortages created by anti-immigrant hysteria.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/Pennsylvania-coal-mining-kids-ap.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/Pennsylvania-coal-mining-kids-ap.jpg\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":907,\"caption\":\"child labor\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Can Child Labor Rescue America From Labor Shortages? An Update\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/\",\"name\":\"Confined Space\",\"description\":\"A newsletter of workplace safety and labor issues\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bcc6bf185c17840824cfc3ef7522f3c5\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bcc6bf185c17840824cfc3ef7522f3c5\",\"name\":\"Jordan Barab\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/21009251506_93991fca44_w.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/21009251506_93991fca44_w.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/21009251506_93991fca44_w.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":267,\"caption\":\"Jordan Barab\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/21009251506_93991fca44_w.jpg\"},\"description\":\"Jordan Barab was OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary from 2009-2017. He ran AFSCME's health &amp; safety program from 1982-98. He also worked at the House Education and &amp; Labor Committee (2007-2009, 2019-2021) and the Chemical Safety Board.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/jordan-barab-81b0218\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/jbarab\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jordanbarab.com\\\/confinedspace\\\/author\\\/jbarab\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Can Child Labor Rescue America From Labor Shortages? An Update - Confined Space","description":"Republicans and some states continue to see more child labor as a solution to labor shortages created by anti-immigrant hysteria.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Can Child Labor Rescue America From Labor Shortages? An Update - Confined Space","og_description":"Republicans and some states continue to see more child labor as a solution to labor shortages created by anti-immigrant hysteria.","og_url":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/","og_site_name":"Confined Space","article_published_time":"2024-02-07T22:00:25+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1440,"height":907,"url":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Pennsylvania-coal-mining-kids-ap.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jordan Barab","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@jbarab","twitter_site":"@jbarab","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jordan Barab","Est. reading time":"22 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/"},"author":{"name":"Jordan Barab","@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/#\/schema\/person\/bcc6bf185c17840824cfc3ef7522f3c5"},"headline":"Can Child Labor Rescue America From Labor Shortages? An Update","datePublished":"2024-02-07T22:00:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/"},"wordCount":5033,"commentCount":7,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/#\/schema\/person\/bcc6bf185c17840824cfc3ef7522f3c5"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Pennsylvania-coal-mining-kids-ap.jpg","keywords":["Arkansas","Florida","Indiana","Iowa","Virginia"],"articleSection":["Child Labor"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/","url":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/","name":"Can Child Labor Rescue America From Labor Shortages? An Update - Confined Space","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Pennsylvania-coal-mining-kids-ap.jpg","datePublished":"2024-02-07T22:00:25+00:00","description":"Republicans and some states continue to see more child labor as a solution to labor shortages created by anti-immigrant hysteria.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Pennsylvania-coal-mining-kids-ap.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Pennsylvania-coal-mining-kids-ap.jpg","width":1440,"height":907,"caption":"child labor"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2024\/02\/07\/making-child-labor-great-again-an-update\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Can Child Labor Rescue America From Labor Shortages? An Update"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/#website","url":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/","name":"Confined Space","description":"A newsletter of workplace safety and labor issues","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/#\/schema\/person\/bcc6bf185c17840824cfc3ef7522f3c5"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/#\/schema\/person\/bcc6bf185c17840824cfc3ef7522f3c5","name":"Jordan Barab","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/21009251506_93991fca44_w.jpg","url":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/21009251506_93991fca44_w.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/21009251506_93991fca44_w.jpg","width":400,"height":267,"caption":"Jordan Barab"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/21009251506_93991fca44_w.jpg"},"description":"Jordan Barab was OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary from 2009-2017. He ran AFSCME's health &amp; safety program from 1982-98. He also worked at the House Education and &amp; Labor Committee (2007-2009, 2019-2021) and the Chemical Safety Board.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jordan-barab-81b0218\/","https:\/\/x.com\/jbarab"],"url":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/author\/jbarab\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Pennsylvania-coal-mining-kids-ap.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8s1ZU-2fW","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8676"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8770,"href":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8676\/revisions\/8770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}