Eight years old, I lived in the “projects” where, when one mother poked her head out the window and yelled “get upstairs for dinner,” dozens of kids would stop our games of skully caps and jump-rope and go eat whatever our moms had cooked. We were poor and the lower rent meant we didn’t have to choose between food and other bills. Then, we suddenly no longer qualified for subsidized housing and were kicked out. We found a new place that we could barely afford near Mom’s job.
On the first morning Dad left for work at 7 a.m., taking the A-Train, Mom left at 8 a.m. to walk to her job at the Medical Center, and I went out on the street and walked, back and forth … no other kids. There was a “Candy Store” at the corner and after walking by twice, three times, the owner, Phil, asked my name and where I lived. I pointed and he said “Here! Take this broom and clean up out here.” I did. From that day on I was an employee. On Saturday afternoons, I’d sort the early sections of The New York Times and Daily News into piles so that on Sunday, when the main sections arrived at 6 a.m., I could quickly create complete Sunday papers, ready for customers to take along with cups of coffee and crullers. By 8 a.m., I was completely black with ink and had earned a few dollars from “Ellie’s” AKA the Cove Luncheonette. I rarely had to ask my parents for money and I liked it that way.
Phil and his wife Ellie were like parents to me and soon had me working a lot, mostly age-appropriate and benign stuff. But I also had to scrub a screaming hot grill, pull heavy cases of soda up a rickety dumb waiter, and drag bread deliveries out of a crawl space in the alley where one morning they found the bodies of four robbers who had run afoul of the mob. Not so benign. This should have been, and was, illegal. I worked there cooking, cleaning, serving, schlepping, until I was 14 when I got a legitimate work permit and worked in other restaurants and supermarkets until I joined the Air Force at 19.
Why do I bring any of this up in 2023? Well.
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Documented violations of child labor laws and injuries are up 69% since 2018. The Labor Department just took action against meat packing plants where 13-year-olds were cleaning razor-sharp equipment using toxic chemicals during overnight shifts, some falling gravely ill. Despite this, many Republicans think our child labor laws are too strict, decrying the “nanny state.” In Iowa, legislators want to rescind laws protecting 14- and 15-year-olds, classifying work in factories as “learning programs.” Wisconsin Republicans want to repeal laws that protect children from working more than 18 hours a week. Minnesota legislators want to make it easier for 14-year-olds to work on construction sites and let children work from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. An Ohio business development organization says their biggest impediment to growth is child labor laws “holding children back” from ... Ummmmm ... development? U.S. Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, agrees, moving to increase the number of hours children can work DURING school days. State Delegate Daniel Marshall, R-VA, wants the state to slash the minimum wage for children. Shockingly, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, D-Utah, has an argument against abortion saying that it “reduces the labor force.” Ah, family values! Arkansas Gov. Sanders just signed a law eliminating work permits, proof of age, and parental consent requirements for child labor.
Irony alert: In “red” states children will need signed parental permission slips to read Slaughterhouse Five but not to work in an actual slaughterhouse. And, which little tots will be recruited to work in these factories? Think: “BUILD tiny holes in THAT WALL!” (Thanks to Stephen Colbert for inspiring these quips).
Young people, ages 14 and up, should be able to work, under strict rules for hours, safety, impact on education, with documented parental consent, work permits, and fair pay. Young me, folding newspapers on Saturday and Sunday was OK. Scrubbing the grill was not. Teens stocking shelves, working a register, bussing tables, being camp counselors, babysitting? Cool. The 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and today’s slaughterhouses? Not.
Work provides valuable life experiences and can help families financially. But child labor is NOT a fix for systemic labor shortages. And, children deserve absolute protection from trafficking, unfair labor practices, dangerous tasks, negative impacts on learning, and kids should not be short-changed on pay. More than a nanny state, we should be watching over every child like fierce mama and papa bears and tell food producers like JBS, Cargill and Tyson to stop putting 13 year olds in danger.
Craig Wiesner is the co-owner of Reach And Teach, a book, toy and cultural gift shop on San Carlos Avenue in San Carlos.
In case anyone is still watching this column, a THIRD child has died in Mississippi https://www.huffpost.com/entry/teen-poultry-factory-child-worker-deaths_n_64b7ecbce4b0ad7b75f67af7
Craig - your selective criticism is appalling. Have you heard that the Biden administration cannot account for 85,000, yes 85,000, undocumented minors that crossed the border over the last two years? It is your Party that threw the border wide open. It has been determined that most of them end up in all types of horrific slavery. Your crocodile tears are duplicitous. Child abuse is never accepted and should be fought with all available means but Biden's bunch is mopping the floor with the spigot wide open.
I have taken a sabbatical from the daily trench warfare in the DJ’s comments section, but I’ll take a quick peek over the parapets today. I optimistically feel… or maybe foolishly feel… there are some topics where we can all find agreement. Child labor is one of those topics. I cannot conceive of any DJ reader on the left or the right who supports the abuse of children in schools, in homes or the workplace.
To find some common ground, let’s agree to differentiate between illegal child labor and legal child labor. Illegal child labor is abusive as well as criminally and morally wrong. I believe you will not find a DJ reader who disagrees with that premise.
You listed some states that may amend their child labor laws. Most of them were states with Republican controlled legislatures with the notable exception of Minnesota. The Gopher State has a Democratic Party governor, secretary of state, attorney general and state legislature. Minnesota law makers, as you mentioned in your column, are considering changes that would permit 14 year olds to work on construction sites. BTW New Jersey and Connecticut, two other Democratic Party controlled states, are also looking at changes to their child labor laws. So, it’s not just a Republican thing. Arkansas’ Republican governor signed legislation that allows 14 year olds to seek employment without having to obtain a work permit. Even so, workplace protections for kids in Arkansas remain in place. Oddly enough, with the exception of work permit requirements, it sounds like you agree with Governor Huckabee. You wrote, “Young people, ages 14 and up, should be able to work, under strict rules for hours, safety, impact on education, with documented parental consent, work permits, and fair pay.” Hear! Hear!
Mixing examples of legal child labor and illegal child labor puts a cloud on the issue of persons younger than age 18 joining the workforce. I hope we can find agreement in the general prohibition of keeping children younger than 14 out of the workplace. Employers illegally using 13 year olds should face consequences, especially when those children are exposed to workplace hazards. In fact, employers should face consequences for exposing workers of any age to workplace hazards.
Let’s be vigilant against illegal child labor. That’s absolutely the right thing to do.
Legal child labor can have a positive effect on the lives of young people. Studies show that teenagers who work have better prospects for upward mobility. The United Nations Commission on Social Development agrees, and I think that preteen kid who was handed a broom years ago and who sorted newspapers for a couple of dollars would agree, too.
Mr. Wiesner, a humorous rant against Republicans. First, Sen. Mike Lee is a Republican (I’d hate for your train of thought to be derailed). Now let’s take a look at the other side… We have Democrat-controlling public education unions negatively impacting learning and short-changing kids on education due to teachers being afraid of the COVID cooties and not teaching in classrooms. We have Democrat controlled locales and states attempting to implement mandatory COVID jabs (can’t call them vaccines because they don’t vaccinate and which may ultimately turn out to be more lethal than COVID) and COVID masking which has been proven (although common sense would have told you the same) to not be effective. We have Democrat-controlled locales experiencing rising crime –detrimental to not just kids, but everyone.
You think there should be more labor laws but unless child labor has become mandatory, this is more unneeded, and intrusive, regulation by Dems who think they know better (but mostly don’t). You say it’s ironic that children need signed parental permission slips to read Slaughterhouse Five but not to work in a slaughterhouse. Kids, and parents, have a choice as to whether they want their kids to work. Dems appear to be in the business of attempting to let kids, without parental permission, allow their bodies to be medically altered if these kids feel they’re not the gender they were born as. Yet these same kids being allowed to make this permanent and life altering choice need a bevy of child labor laws that will tell them what is considered “safe” work?
One thing you have not mentioned is how much LESS these companies are paying child laborers. It's not just about a labor shortage, it's about these companies wanting to pay lower wages so they can enrich their CEOs and stockholders. And Republicans are their enablers.
Hey Renabk - do you have any evidence that only Republicans are enablers? Aren't the Democrats allowing the multitudes across the border for cheap labor? Many of these illegal aliens are children and or minors.
Renabk - you may not be a Republican but if you are a shareholder through any of your pension plans you are an enabler as well. In fact, most large corporation CEOs are Democrat Party contributors and are welcoming cheap labor flooding over our borders. Please do your homework before you make such an inane statement.
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(9) comments
In case anyone is still watching this column, a THIRD child has died in Mississippi https://www.huffpost.com/entry/teen-poultry-factory-child-worker-deaths_n_64b7ecbce4b0ad7b75f67af7
Craig - your selective criticism is appalling. Have you heard that the Biden administration cannot account for 85,000, yes 85,000, undocumented minors that crossed the border over the last two years? It is your Party that threw the border wide open. It has been determined that most of them end up in all types of horrific slavery. Your crocodile tears are duplicitous. Child abuse is never accepted and should be fought with all available means but Biden's bunch is mopping the floor with the spigot wide open.
Hello, Craig
I have taken a sabbatical from the daily trench warfare in the DJ’s comments section, but I’ll take a quick peek over the parapets today. I optimistically feel… or maybe foolishly feel… there are some topics where we can all find agreement. Child labor is one of those topics. I cannot conceive of any DJ reader on the left or the right who supports the abuse of children in schools, in homes or the workplace.
To find some common ground, let’s agree to differentiate between illegal child labor and legal child labor. Illegal child labor is abusive as well as criminally and morally wrong. I believe you will not find a DJ reader who disagrees with that premise.
You listed some states that may amend their child labor laws. Most of them were states with Republican controlled legislatures with the notable exception of Minnesota. The Gopher State has a Democratic Party governor, secretary of state, attorney general and state legislature. Minnesota law makers, as you mentioned in your column, are considering changes that would permit 14 year olds to work on construction sites. BTW New Jersey and Connecticut, two other Democratic Party controlled states, are also looking at changes to their child labor laws. So, it’s not just a Republican thing. Arkansas’ Republican governor signed legislation that allows 14 year olds to seek employment without having to obtain a work permit. Even so, workplace protections for kids in Arkansas remain in place. Oddly enough, with the exception of work permit requirements, it sounds like you agree with Governor Huckabee. You wrote, “Young people, ages 14 and up, should be able to work, under strict rules for hours, safety, impact on education, with documented parental consent, work permits, and fair pay.” Hear! Hear!
Mixing examples of legal child labor and illegal child labor puts a cloud on the issue of persons younger than age 18 joining the workforce. I hope we can find agreement in the general prohibition of keeping children younger than 14 out of the workplace. Employers illegally using 13 year olds should face consequences, especially when those children are exposed to workplace hazards. In fact, employers should face consequences for exposing workers of any age to workplace hazards.
Let’s be vigilant against illegal child labor. That’s absolutely the right thing to do.
Legal child labor can have a positive effect on the lives of young people. Studies show that teenagers who work have better prospects for upward mobility. The United Nations Commission on Social Development agrees, and I think that preteen kid who was handed a broom years ago and who sorted newspapers for a couple of dollars would agree, too.
Mr. Wiesner, a humorous rant against Republicans. First, Sen. Mike Lee is a Republican (I’d hate for your train of thought to be derailed). Now let’s take a look at the other side… We have Democrat-controlling public education unions negatively impacting learning and short-changing kids on education due to teachers being afraid of the COVID cooties and not teaching in classrooms. We have Democrat controlled locales and states attempting to implement mandatory COVID jabs (can’t call them vaccines because they don’t vaccinate and which may ultimately turn out to be more lethal than COVID) and COVID masking which has been proven (although common sense would have told you the same) to not be effective. We have Democrat-controlled locales experiencing rising crime –detrimental to not just kids, but everyone.
You think there should be more labor laws but unless child labor has become mandatory, this is more unneeded, and intrusive, regulation by Dems who think they know better (but mostly don’t). You say it’s ironic that children need signed parental permission slips to read Slaughterhouse Five but not to work in a slaughterhouse. Kids, and parents, have a choice as to whether they want their kids to work. Dems appear to be in the business of attempting to let kids, without parental permission, allow their bodies to be medically altered if these kids feel they’re not the gender they were born as. Yet these same kids being allowed to make this permanent and life altering choice need a bevy of child labor laws that will tell them what is considered “safe” work?
One thing you have not mentioned is how much LESS these companies are paying child laborers. It's not just about a labor shortage, it's about these companies wanting to pay lower wages so they can enrich their CEOs and stockholders. And Republicans are their enablers.
Thanks Mr. Reisner for your insightful article.
Sorry! Weisner...typo.
Hey Renabk - do you have any evidence that only Republicans are enablers? Aren't the Democrats allowing the multitudes across the border for cheap labor? Many of these illegal aliens are children and or minors.
Renabk - you may not be a Republican but if you are a shareholder through any of your pension plans you are an enabler as well. In fact, most large corporation CEOs are Democrat Party contributors and are welcoming cheap labor flooding over our borders. Please do your homework before you make such an inane statement.
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