Entries by Alyssa Bredefeld

Child Labor Injuries and Deaths in the U.S. 2023–2024

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The United States has extremely relaxed labor laws, which have contributed to the injury and death of countless children. Below is a list of documented cases of minors who were injured or killed due to inadequate labor protections and enforcement between 2023 and 2024.   2023  At Florence Hardwoods, a Wisconsin lumber mill, a 16-year-old worker died in a tragic accident involving a wood-stacking machine. OSHA cited the company with 47 violations and proposed $1.4 million in fines, while the U.S. Department of Labor found multiple child labor violations, including minors operating hazardous equipment. https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2024/04/25/work-safety-advocates-list-wisconsin-lumber-mill-where-teen-died-among-unsafe-employers/  In Mississippi’s Mar‑Jac Poultry plant, 16‑year‑old Duvan Thomas Pérez, an undocumented immigrant working under a false identity, died cleaning machinery. OSHA issued just $212,646 in fines and 17 citations; a penalty critics say is woefully insufficient against the company’s profits. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/feb/12/immigrant-child-laborers-killed-factories-osha  A 16-year-old boy, Michael Schuls, was killed in June 2023 while working at Florence Hardwoods, a sawmill in northern Wisconsin. He became trapped in a wood-stacking machine while attempting to clear a jam and died two days later from traumatic asphyxiation. Despite his age, Schuls had been working late hours in violation of federal child labor laws. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/20/republican-child-labor-law-death  In February 2023, Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI), a Wisconsin-based company providing sanitation services to meatpacking plants, was found illegally employing over 100 minors, some as young […]

Why Teen Driving Protections Save Lives and What Happens Without Them

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By Alyssa Bredefeld In 2022, teen drivers accounted for 9.1 percent of all motor vehicle accidents, with 3,212 fatal crashes among teens ages 16 to 19. This elevated crash rate is attributed to risky driving behavior, such as speeding, use of handheld cellphones, rapid accelerations, and abrupt braking. These behaviors are further exacerbated by peer pressure. When driving with a peer in the car, the risk of an accident is dramatically increased. According to the American Psychological Association, the teenage brain has a heightened sensitivity to rewards, making teens more likely to engage in risk-taking. Psychiatrist Jay N. Giedd of the National Institutes of Health explains that “brains don’t fully develop until age 25 and that teenagers tend to depend on the part of the brain that mediates fear and other gut reactions, the amygdala, when making decisions.”  Despite the known dangers of teenage driving, the Department of Labor reports that one of the most common child labor violations is allowing minors to operate or assist with motor vehicles. This type of work is prohibited under Hazardous Occupations Order No. 2 (HO 2). An exception is made for 17-year-olds who may drive on the job if certain criteria are met: driving during daylight hours, holding a valid state license, and spending no more than 20% of their work time behind […]

Modernizing Government or Undermining Worker Protections? A Closer Look at the Secretary of Labor’s Agenda

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By Alyssa Bredefeld The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on Wednesday, June 6th, where Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer was questioned. The hearing focused on what Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) described as the “Trump administration’s plans for a smaller and more effective government for taxpayers”—a statement that reflects the administration’s “slash and burn” ideology, set in place by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This department rapidly dismantled vital policy and aid programs in the name of streamlining. Unsurprisingly, the hearing was riddled with empty promises and evasive answers that signaled a lack of commitment to stopping child labor and the exploitation of American workers. The Secretary’s responses foreshadowed diminished protections for American workers and an increase in the number of children working in unsafe conditions. One of the most urgent concerns was the proposed budget cuts to the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, which investigates labor violations and enforces labor laws. Representative Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) highlighted the current severe staffing shortages, noting that the division went from went from 1,000 staff in 1948 to 611 by the end of the Biden administration—despite our workforce being much larger. She added that “investigators in a dozen states told The New York Times that their understaffed offices could barely respond to the number of complaints, much […]