Tag Archive for: State Laws

Press Release: 100+ organizations urge full restoration of USDOL/ILAB programming and staffing to fight against child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking

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Contact: Reid Maki, Director Child Labor Issues and Coordinator of Child Labor Coalition 

More than 100 organizations urge full restoration of USDOL/ILAB programming and staffing to fight against child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking

Washington, DC—In a bold show of unity, more than 100 organizations have issued a new statement urging Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer and the U.S. Congress to restore essential programs and staffing levels of the International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB), a frontline force in the global fight against child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. ILAB also plays an important role in expanding global labor protections, with the aim of ensuring a level-playing field for American businesses at risk from overseas manufacturing that relies on exploited labor.

In late March, the Trump Administration terminated more than $500 million in ILAB grant programs. The Bureau is now bracing for catastrophic staff reductions and is expected to lose at least half its personnel this week. 

For decades, ILAB has stood as a global leader and the primary U.S. government funder of child labor remediation and a major funder of efforts to reduce forced labor and human trafficking internationally.

The signatories of the ILAB-support statement include human rights, labor rights, anti-trafficking, and child rights organizations, as well as representatives of the U.S. business community. Faith-based groups and two of the largest unions in the U.S.—the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers—who share deep concern about the development of children at risk of child labor, are also among the signatories. 

We are unified in our message: the United States must not abandon its global leadership role in defending our most vulnerable workers.

The ILAB-support letter and list of signatories can be found here.

 

 

A list of quotes from some of the statement signatories follows:

“The ILAB team has deep expertise in carrying out important priorities to all Americans, including ensuring that products that come into our country are made free from child and forced labor. It also works on monitoring and enforcing the effective implementation of our trade agreements. The ILAB programs provide a vital tool for our nation to fight against trafficking, child labor and exploitative cheap labor. The elimination of these grants and possible staff positions undermines the interests of workers in the United States and around the world.”  — Liz Shuler, president, AFL-CIO 

 

“The dismantling of ILAB grants and accompanying staff reductions threatens to unravel decades of progress in combating forced and child labor, human trafficking and exploitation around the world. For over 20 years, ILAB-supported programs have helped uphold the values of dignity, freedom and fairness by supporting grassroots efforts to ensure safe workplaces and human rights protections across global supply chains. Crucially, many of these programs were established to enforce labor provisions in countries where the United States has trade agreements. They help ensure that our trading partners live up to their commitments. Cutting these programs risks turning a blind eye to violations that directly impact the fairness of our trade relationships.” — Shawna Bader Blau, executive director, Solidarity Center 

 

“ILAB’s work reflects the values of the American people and the Trump administration by putting American workers and businesses first. Eliminating all ILAB grants instead puts American workers and American businesses last, leading to unfair competition with countries and foreign businesses that are not held to the same laws and standards for labor abuses, forced labor, human trafficking, and child labor.” — Nate Herman, senior vice president of policy, American Apparel and Footwear Association 

 

“Workers around the world are at higher risk of exploitation and abuse because of these cuts. Without ILAB programs, more children will end up in dangerous work that could harm their health, disrupt their education, and rob them of their childhood.”  — Jo Becker, children’s rights advocacy director at Human Rights Watch 

 

“Forced labor and child labor are ubiquitous in global supply chains, harming the victims and creating an unfair playing field for U.S. workers. For more than two decades, the Department of Labor’s international grant programs have made tremendous strides in combating human trafficking and abuse. That has now ended. The administration’s counterproductive decision to eliminate $500 million in funding for this work undermines progress in the global fight to end forced labor and child exploitation. We strongly urge Secretary Chavez-DeRemer to restore this essential funding immediately and to end the attack on ILAB.” — Martina E. Vandenberg, president, Human Trafficking Legal Center 

 

“We call on Secretary Chavez-DeRemer to restore ILAB’s funding. Through our work and partnerships, we have seen how this funding and the bureau’s partnership has been pivotal in addressing forced labor, human trafficking, and child labor by supporting organizations in developing enforceable brand agreements in India and Lesotho, strengthening labor standards for seafood workers in the Asia Pacific, advancing freedom of association in Mexico, and more. The loss of $500 million will have crippling effects around the world and impact those most vulnerable.” — Kehinde A. Togun, managing director, Public Engagement, Humanity United 

 

“Restoring these grants gives child laborers a fighting chance at an education, better jobs as adults, and raises wages and living standards world-wide.” — Tim Ryan, chair, Global March Against Child Labour 

 

“For decades, the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) has been the U.S. government’s primary funder of child labor remediation projects around the world. ILAB also funds projects to reduce and end forced labor and human trafficking and to expand labor rights to ensure that American businesses do not face unfair competition from overseas companies that engage in exploitative labor practices. Over the last 25 years, ILAB has played a leading role in the remarkable reduction of global child labor from 246 million to 168 million—by more than one third. Cuts to ILAB’s programming and staff threaten to spark a dramatic increase in global child labor.” — Reid Maki, director of child labor advocacy, Child Labor Coalition and National Consumers League 

Press Release: National Consumers League condemns legislation in Florida that preempts local ordinances to protect workers from heat exposure

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March 15, 2024

Media contact: National Consumers League – Melody Merin, melodym@nclnet.org, 202-207-2831

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League is condemning a vote by the Florida House of Representatives to approve legislation that will upend Miami-Dade’s proposed local workplace standards requiring drinking water, cooling measures, recovery periods, posting or distributing materials informing workers how to protect themselves, and requiring first aid or emergency responses. The Florida Senate approved the measure yesterday.

This measure rushed through the state legislature ahead of adjournment on Friday, March 8th and will prevent local governments throughout Florida from requiring water, shade breaks or training so workers can protect themselves from heat illness, injury, and fatality.

Reid Maki, director of child labor advocacy for the Child Labor Coalition under the National Consumers League, made this statement:

“Not only is the Florida legislature usurping the duty of local government to protect workers from heat stress in one of the hottest states in America, but by denying workers access to water and protection this Dickensian measure ignores the reality of heat and heatstroke among Florida’s workers. Indeed, hundreds of workers die across the U.S. from heat exposure each year. The legislation also forbids the posting of educational materials to help workers protect themselves from the heat.

NCL has throughout its history worked to eradicate child labor and abusive labor practices, including protecting children in America working in the fields from exposure to heat, dangerous chemicals, and long hours. U.S. law allows children to work at younger ages in the agricultural sector despite its significantly increased danger. It also allows teens to do work known to be dangerous at younger ages—16 versus 18. NCL works to close both of those loopholes and protect children from agricultural dangers and exploitation. These vulnerable teen workers in agriculture are at great risk from heat exposure.

NCL is urging Governor Ron DeSantis to veto this legislation. NCL also urges the United States Congress to enact the Asuncíon Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury and Fatality Prevention Act, which would direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to adopt interim heat standards, while the agency continues its years-long slog of adopting a final heat protection rule. NCL is a member of the national Heat Stress Network, which works to protect outdoor works from heat dangers.

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See how your state child labor laws match up with other states in this nifty chart frp, U.S. DOL looking at allowable hours worked

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U.S. Department of Labor’s clickable map of the U.S. allowing users to compare their state’s child labor hour restrictions with other states.

 

Click this link to view.

 

 

 

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The Child Labor Coalition’s letter to Wisconsin Gov. Evers, Urging Him to Veto Legislation that Would Weaken Existing Child Labor Laws

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January 21, 2022

 

Dear Governor Evers:

 

The Child Labor Coalition (CLC) based in Washington, D.C., represents 38 groups who work to reduce child labor and the dangers of child work in the U.S. and abroad. We write with concern about legislation, SB 332, which just passed the Wisconsin Assembly yesterday. The legislation would weaken current Wisconsin child labor protections by lengthening the hours 14- and 15-year-old workers would be allowed to work—both on schools days and on non-school days.

The CLC fears that lengthening the hours of work will increase student fatigue and increase the likelihood of students dropping out.  Extending school hours makes it harder for kids to perform school work, participate in after-school activities, do homework, and get a good night’s sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than one quarter of high school students fall asleep in class now.

Driving to and from the job is one of the most common ways teen workers are injured or killed. Even if teen workers are being driven by older drivers, fellow co-workers, or parents after 11:00, their chances of dying in a car accident escalate with late hours of work. Drunk driving fatal accidents are four time more likely at night—the later the hour, the more likely the accident is to involve a drunk driver.

Currently, Wisconsin follows federal law and allows children to work from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm when school is in session (on days preceding school) and 7:00 am to 9:00 pm when school is out of session. The proposed new law would allow minors to work until 9:30 on school nights and to begin work at 6:00 am, lengthening the work day for teen workers by 3 hours and 30 minutes.  On non-school nights, the new law would allow minor workers to work between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm.

According to Business Insider, “The bill would keep in place federal rules limiting teens to three hours of work on a school day, eight hours on non-school days, and six days of work a week.”

Each year, 158,000 teens suffer work-related injuries—70,000 are hurt badly enough to have to go to the hospital. By increasing worker fatigue, we increase the likelihood of injury. Rahm Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago and a former member of Congress, is a victim of a teen accident. While working in an Arby’s he suffered a cut from a meat slicer. The cut led to a severe infection and gangrene and part of the finger had to be amputated.

In 2006, health researchers Kristina M. Zierold, Ph.D., assistant professor of family and community medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and Henry A. Anderson, M.D., chief medical officer of the Wisconsin Division of Public Health surveyed teen workers in North Carolina and found significant health risks associated with work by minors—and night work presented additional dangers. “Based on our analysis, we surmise that working later hours may involve circumstances that place teens at greater risk for severe occupational injury,” Zierold explained. Late at night, when managers have gone home, “teens may be asked to perform more prohibited or hazardous tasks than when supervisors are present.”

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Maine lawmakers loosen teen work rules–roll back Child Labor Protections

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By Mal Leary, Capitol News Service

Posted May 26, 2011, at 6:13 p.m.
Last modified May 27, 2011, at 9:46 a.m.


AUGUSTA, Maine – Gov. Paul LePage is expected to sign into law legislation allowing 16- and 17-year-olds in Maine to work longer hours during the school year, his office confirmed Thursday. But the legislation provoked lengthy debate before being enacted earlier this week, with some lawmakers arguing students need to be students first.

“In this case Maine has had the most restrictive laws related to 16- and 17-year-olds in the nation,” Sen. Chris Rector, R-Thomaston, the co-chair of the Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee, said during debate on the bill.  ”We have been the outliers, far more restrictive than our New England counterparts and far more restrictive than most other states.”

He said the legislation brings Maine more into line with other states, although the bill was considerably watered down from its original version, sponsored by Sen. Debra Plowman, R-Hampden, which would have lifted all restrictions on the number of hours 16-year-olds could work while school is not in session. It also would have repealed all limitations on the hours a 17-year-old may work.

As amended by lawmakers, the limit for both age groups is 24 hours in a week, with a six-hour-per-day limit, up from the current four-hour limit per day. It also bans work after 10:15 p.m. on a day preceding a school day.

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Pennsylvania Official Calls for Updated, Comprehensive Child Labor Laws

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HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A comprehensive overhaul of Pennsylvania’s Child Labor Law is needed to ensure safer working conditions for young people, Labor & Industry Executive Deputy Secretary Robert V. O’Brien testified today before the House of Representatives’ Labor Relations Committee.

The House panel discussed two pieces of legislation: House Bill 19, sponsored by Rep. Jaret Gibbons; and House Bill 2515, sponsored by Rep. Thomas P. Murt.

“The enforcement of child labor standards is an important department function,” O’Brien said. “The current law – which dates back to 1915 – is antiquated, confusing and has not evolved along with Pennsylvania’s occupational diversity. Updates are needed because the department’s ability to regulate the employment of minors has been constrained by deficiencies with the current law.

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