It seems like they’re remaking or rebooting everything right now, like TV shows, movies, and child labor laws. You read that right: child labor is experiencing a big comeback, and not in a good way.
Here’s Five Fast Facts About Child Labor in the US:
- 🧒 How? - Let’s get right to it: last year, 835 companies illegally hired more than 3,800 children. That’s a 238% increase (!!!) since 2015.
- 🚸 Wait, What? - So far, three children have died this year, doing work in positions they weren’t qualified for. That includes a sawmill accident and one in a slaughterhouse.
- 👴 Back In My Day… - Before you start grumbling about how you had a job at 15, understand that kids are allowed to work here in the US at 14, 15, or 16. However, It’s illegal for them to work any sort of dangerous job, work too many hours in a given week or day, or work night shifts. It is illegal for kids under 14 to work at all.
- 👷 Who’s Doing This? - Employers are desperate to fill jobs (especially dangerous ones) at the lowest possible cost. State legislatures are rolling back child labor laws to help those businesses.
- ⚖️ Where? - A total of 14 states have currently changed their laws and it’s resulted in things like a 12 year old working overnight stamping auto parts.
🔥Bottom line: There’s no other way to say this: it’s wrong for kids to do this kind of work. The fact that it’s been politicized in 2023 is utterly jaw-dropping and strange. Of course, the real issue is that major companies want cheap labor and some politicians (at least 14 of them) are more than willing to give in to them. Clearly, they’ve learned nothing from the Great Resignation.
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