There is a coordinated, nationwide effort to roll back child labor laws, part of a broader campaign to concentrate even more power into the hands of employers. Since 2021, 28 states have introduced bills to weaken child labor laws, with 12 states enacting them. In 2024, eight states have introduced or taken new action on bills to allow employers to schedule 16- and 17-year-olds for unlimited hours, among other changes.
The push to weaken labor laws can be seen as a product of conservative ideology aligned with the interests of reactionary business owners. However, beyond ideology, the rapid advancement of this agenda is also due to partisan control with Republicans spearheading the assault on labor laws.
According to a study by political scientists, only 1.6% of state legislators worked in manual labor, service industry, or clerical/union jobs, despite around 50% of U.S. workers being in those fields. Both parties lack representation from working-class backgrounds, with only 1-2% of lawmakers having such experiences.
#child-labor-laws #labor-rights #political-ideology #state-legislatures #working-class-representation
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