Al Womble, State Political Director for the Iowa AFL-CIO, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss recent child labor legislation attempting to be passed through the state congress.
Iowa recently joined a growing number of states attempting to pass Child Labor Laws that many in the labor movement believe would create more dangerous opportunities for child workers. Womble claims that the new laws will better prepare a child laborer for a long-term career are not true. He believes if the lawmakers wanted to create long-term career opportunities for children, they would be better served supporting pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. Instead, lawmakers are attempting to allow children to work in deadly work environments, Womble added.
Womble went into detail on some of the main issues with the new legislation. The laws look to allow child labor to be able to work in the roofing industry, along with other dangerous construction jobs, and even allow children as young as 16 to be able to serve alcohol. Womble believes these two changes would put child laborers into a more dangerous work environment, where they’d be more likely to deal with deadly or harmful hazards daily.
Proponents also are attempting to attack organized labor, Womble said. They are attempting to manipulate state laws to circumvent worker safety. Not only are they attempting to get around worker safety, but Womble believes they are attempting to make union organizing more difficult for workers. Only with collaboration can the labor movement attempt to prevent these attacks, he said.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.