Veto the child labor bill

We thought the idea of loosening child labor laws in Iowa was a bad idea when it was floated this year. That view hasn’t changed as it navigated the Republican-controlled Legislature and made its way to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk.

Child labor laws were approved by past legislatures for good reasons. Too often, children working for little pay were put in physical danger and exploited by employers. Those working conditions affected their ability to get an education and tap other opportunities that go along with schooling. The laws have not stopped kids from working a wide array of part-time jobs.

Those reasons remain good enough for us. And we see no reason to backtrack. But a another reason to oppose Iowa’s child labor bill comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which recently sent a letter to Statehouse Democrats warning that some changes include in the bill could violate federal law.

One part of the bill that would allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. during the school year and 11 p.m. in the summer runs counter the federal limit of 7 p.m. Allowing those kids to work up to 28 hours weekly during the school year blows past the federal 18-hour limit. Permitting kids ages 14 and 15 to work in industrial laundries, meat freezers and at light assembly work could also be problematic, according to the Labor Department.

The bill provides liability protection for businesses that hire kids, but no new protections for the workers. We’ve seen instances across the country this year of kids as young as 13 working in meatpacking plants in Nebraska and Kansas and 10-year-olds working at a Louisville McDonalds until 2 a.m., among other examples of exploitation.

Republicans say the Labor Department has it all wrong. Their weakest argument it that some labor laws on the books in Iowa don’t meet federal standards. Then those laws need to be strengthened. And the Biden administration deserves credit for putting new resources into enforcing the law as several red states seek to weaken child labor protections.

Reynolds should veto the bill. And then members of both parties should turn their attention to finding more constructive ways to prepare kids for the workforce, such as more apprenticeships, school-based vocational training and other models that don’t require putting kids at risk.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com

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