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We were proud to help our Mom by bringing home things for our meals. And yes. It is the responsibility of every member of a family to support it in any honorable way they can. Teaching kids and adults there is an age requirement for being able to work and further one's own self-sufficiency is wrong and is part of the harm we do our kids when they are young. 10, 12 14, are certainly not ages too young to work. We are way too soft. But, nothing an empty plate and a cold house can't fix.
That story is paywalled and the OP did not put in a link in their story.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike from back east
Excerpt: "The laws take aim at the number of hours that children are allowed to work and protect employers from liabilities due to sickness or accidents. In the case of the latter, those employer protections dovetail with the kind of dangerous industries the bills are looking to prop up: construction in Minnesota, and meatpacking plants in Iowa. The bills come as efforts to expand legal working ages in other states have ramped up recently, and as the US has seen an increase in child labor violations since 2015."
But it these stories seem more political than reality. The bills passed allow 14 and 15 year olds to work after school. How many 14 year olds want to work in a meat packing plant? And how good would a kid that young be at doing that kind of job?
Like I said show me where this is really going on. Where are the meat plants that are filled up with 14 year olds? Not just that in theory it could be going on?
These laws that were passed I doubt they were specifically written for teens to work in dangerous environments. Or if any teen would actually work that way. What has changed from 100 years ago is workers compensation. If you are an employer and hire a 14yo to work in a dangerous situation and they get hurt workers comp comes into play. And your workers comp insurance company would have to agree to cover someone that young. If they won't pay such a claim your business will be out of pocket for that. No business would take that chance.
Show me where not in theory but in practice that now 14 year olds are working in dangerous situations? Seems like a click bait story.
Not sure if this situation involved any 14-yr-olds, exactly. You can check. You may get a paywall at the NY Times:
The factory was full of underage workers like Carolina, who had crossed the Southern border by themselves and were now spending late hours bent over hazardous machinery, in violation of child labor laws. At nearby plants, other children were tending giant ovens to make Chewy and Nature Valley granola bars and packing bags of Lucky Charms and Cheetos — all of them working for the processing giant, Hearthside Food Solutions ...
It could be dangerous work, with fast-moving pulleys and gears that had torn off fingers and ripped open a woman’s scalp.
[..]
These workers are part of a new economy of exploitation: Migrant children, who have been coming into the United States without their parents in record numbers, are ending up in some of the most punishing jobs in the country, a New York Times investigation found. This shadow work force extends across industries in every state, flouting child labor laws that have been in place for nearly a century. Twelve-year-old roofers in Florida and Tennessee. Underage slaughterhouse workers in Delaware, Mississippi and North Carolina. Children sawing planks of wood on overnight shifts in South Dakota.
The company that did our roof did not violate any labor laws. There certainly were not any minors on our roof.
So you personally checked on the legal status of every worker on your roof? You asked for ID of every employee and checked there date of birth to insure they were 18YO? You checked with the state and made sure your roofers workers comp insurance was paid in full and all the employees on your property were covered?
I think the term "Ignorance is bliss" fits the bill here.
That story is paywalled and the OP did not put in a link in their story.
But it these stories seem more political than reality. The bills passed allow 14 and 15 year olds to work after school. How many 14 year olds want to work in a meat packing plant? And how good would a kid that young be at doing that kind of job?
Like I said show me where this is really going on. Where are the meat plants that are filled up with 14 year olds? Not just that in theory it could be going on?
The issue is the PARENTS who force their kids to work in these conditions to help make money for the family, not any kid who wants to work there. Most of the jobs younger kids can do now are not jobs they can do full time. Younger teens may do a job like bagging at a grocery store (that was hugely popular when I was in school), but busier hours tend to be after work or on weekends when kids are out of school and not yet needing to sleep. In some areas where schools get off early, kids could make it to a 3-11 second shift, but they wouldn’t have any time to complete their homework without seriously missing out on sleep.
So you personally checked on the legal status of every worker on your roof? You asked for ID of every employee and checked there date of birth to insure they were 18YO? You checked with the state and made sure your roofers workers comp insurance was paid in full and all the employees on your property were covered?
I think the term "Ignorance is bliss" fits the bill here.
We got a copy of the insurance certificate, liability and workers comp, showing us as additional insureds. The guy in charge was an American, and the crew had been together for 10 years. It's a large roofing company, not some guy with a pickup and random assortment of workers. I didn't feel like checking all of the ID"s, that's not my role in this. I do know none of them were minors.
These companies are breaking the law. The OP is implying that the GOP is passing laws to allow children to work dangerous jobs. Seems to me they are passing laws so that its easier for a 14 or 15 year old to get a job. I know back when I was a teen restaurants or stores that had meat slicers, you had to be 18 I think to operate them. Certain common sense should be put into place if you allow a 14 yo to work for their own safety.
If companies are hiring illegal alien children to work in factories they don't care about labor laws or immigration laws. That is totally different. That has nothing to do with these new laws allowing a 14 yo to get a job after school.
These companies are breaking the law. The OP is implying that the GOP is passing laws to allow children to work dangerous jobs. Seems to me they are passing laws so that its easier for a 14 or 15 year old to get a job. I know back when I was a teen restaurants or stores that had meat slicers, you had to be 18 I think to operate them. Certain common sense should be put into place if you allow a 14 yo to work for their own safety.
If companies are hiring illegal alien children to work in factories they don't care about labor laws or immigration laws. That is totally different. That has nothing to do with these new laws allowing a 14 yo to get a job after school.
Unfortunately, in some states at least, it does have something to do with allowing refugee minors to work in factories. The article also described 12-year-olds doing roofing work, and a 13-year old hotel laundress. 12- and 13-year-olds wouldn't even be covered by these new changes; hiring them, whether US citizens or not, would be illegal still. This is about industry looking for ever-cheaper sources of labor.
It's also about industry needing more labor than is available, I'll grant you that, and some of it may be relatively benign. But there are already alarming signs that there would be widespread abuses.
Do you want to let kids be kids, or do you want to force kids to be kids?
Some people actually want to work before the legally allowed age. Maybe you didn't, but why do you want to force your preference on those who do not share that preference?
Why would they want to work when there is a whole world to learn about? It shouldn't be about the money because that is the parents' responsibility.
Quote:
Originally Posted by amil23
We were proud to help our Mom by bringing home things for our meals. And yes. It is the responsibility of every member of a family to support it in any honorable way they can. Teaching kids and adults there is an age requirement for being able to work and further one's own self-sufficiency is wrong and is part of the harm we do our kids when they are young. 10, 12 14, are certainly not ages too young to work. We are way too soft. But, nothing an empty plate and a cold house can't fix.
It is the responsibility of the parents to support the family! Both parents! If the house is cold and the plate is empty it's time to call in the authorities. Neglecting children is a crime.
Last edited by Mike from back east; 04-09-2023 at 07:56 PM..
Reason: Merged 2:1
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