ND1221112

Title: States Challenging Child-Labor Laws

Description: Republican legislators and governors want to change child-labor laws to assist businesses, such as supermarkets and restaurants, in hiring more workers.

Page Content:

AUGUSTA, Maine ? From Wisconsin to Maine, Republican lawmakers are looking to change child-labor laws to help businesses like grocery stores and restaurants, Bloomberg reports. Child-labor laws became federal laws in 1938 to stop young people from working at factories instead of attending school.

While Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has been vocal about wanting to challenge child-labor laws, other Republican legislators and governors have been working to revise their states? regulations.

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?How come it?s OK, even exemplary, for teenagers to spend 40 hours a week in sports, glee club, chorus, debate society, or any other select activity sanctioned by the social elite, but if you are a teenager who wants to work or needs to work, there are limits?? said Dick Grotton, president of the Maine Restaurant Association. ?Kids working is not a bad thing.?

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Under the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act, youths have to be at least 14 to take most jobs and any teen is barred from working dangerous jobs. Businesses that would benefit from a relaxing of child-labor laws would be those have more low-wage jobs, such as McDonald?s, Walmart and convenience stores.

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Maine repealed some of its child-labor laws in 2011, with the support of Gov. Paul LePage. The change now lets teens work more hours per week and also allows businesses to pay a ?training wage.?� ?I don?t see why kids can?t go to work when they are 14 or 15 ? it makes no sense to me,? said LePage.

Also this year, Wisconsin now allows 16- and 17-year-olds to work more hours per week. Both states rolled back their state laws because of restaurants and supermarkets asking for the changes. ?It wasn?t like they were trying to overwork these kids or create a sweatshop,? said Michelle Kussow, a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Grocers Association. ?They just want to give kids that great first opportunity you get in a grocery store.?

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Content Subject: Operations

Formatted Article Date: December 21, 2011

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