The Washington Post had an article over the weekend concerning bills advancing through the Iowa and Minnesota legislatures. The subject? Rolling back child labor laws to allow children as young as 14 to work in industrial meatpacking plants and 16 year olds to work in construction.
This is supposedly being suggested to address labor shortages, but is it really? Adults need income levels that allow them to survive and maybe even include benefits enabling workers to care for their families. Businesses know they can hire younger people for less money and without offering benefits.
If you have followed my blog for a while, you know I grew up in the country. As kids, we all helped out. We did not get paid when we picked beans or strawberries or shucked corn or helped string beans. It was the survival of the family and it took all of us to get…
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The Bag Lady 