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Season 4, Episode 68

Child labor laws weaken as industries seek a cheaper workforce

EPI Gray

 

Guest Name:

Jennifer Berkshire

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https://www.epi.org/ 

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Journalist and an Economic Policy Institute contributor, Jennifer Berkshire, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the intentional weakening of child labor laws nationwide. 

Recently, six states have weakened or are currently in the process of weakening their child labor laws. The reasoning reportedly is that parents don’t always know what is best for their children. The changes allow the child to decide whether to work longer shifts and more hours in a week.

Berkshire believes many states are weakening child labor laws or are in the process of weakening them to help fill lower-paying jobs. These jobs are usually dirty, and dangerous and don’t provide many protections for the workers. Berkshire believes that these industry employers are seeking cheaper labor. She shared that due to the difficulties in organizing children and their desire to please their boss, child labor makes for perfect workers for companies. 

Berkshire said parents’ rights are being challenged in the process of weakening child labor laws. This is the first time since compulsory schooling became the norm that parents’ rights face such a challenge. Ironically, the old parents' rights campaigns served to fight against children going to school and getting an education. Instead, parents wanted to keep their children at home, caring for their farms.

Listen to the entire episode to learn more.

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America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

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