We Uncovered the Corporations Bringing Back Child Labor in America

Iowa’s extreme child labor bill began in the office of Gov. Kim Reynolds and was written by top corporate lobbyists.
The bill would allow kids young as 14 to work in meatpacking plants and on construction sites. Our investigation sheds light on its corrupt origins.
#childlabor #labor #workers #hyvee #iowa
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[@yarnpower]

There is no shortage of labor, those corporations don’t want to pay a living wage.

[@peachscentedskulls]

yep

[@JesgateOnDown]

Exactly. Not only that, they know that kids that age are not aware of labor laws & regulations i.e. what exact employers are allowed to ask of them regarding hours, extra work, "claimed" leniency towards disregarding labor laws, etc.

[@b_uppy]

I have to largely agree. Pay a decent wage and the workers will practically knock down the door. That said I could see ten year olds picking fruit at summer jobs at organic permaculture farms 3 days a week a few hours a day, occasionally snacking on fresh veggies, getting sun and folding money while staving off boredom/trouble. ZERO kids around chemicals, heavy machinery, or working long hours/weeknights during the school year. Kids need free time and school is still a priority.

[@TheModdedwarfare3]

Especially with so many job ads purposely going unfilled to lower working conditions further.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

YWCA MPLS is lying about trying to hire people. And their CEO is a former union buster.

[@elijasuiters9932]

Once kids start working for long enough, and it becomes normal, most Americans won't be able to imagine a time where a household could be supported by two parents. Similar to how it's hard to imagine a household being supported by one man now-days. The more labor we give the ruling class, the less value they return to us.

[@Cloverkitty]

💯 well put

[@DWN-079]

remember when the household could be supported by ONE parent? yeah, me neither. history repeats.

[@eussiteeussite9641]

So are you saying it was a mistake for women to entire the workforce? "The more labor we give the ruling class, the less value they return to us."

[@DefaultDerrick]

This is why we need to give every single worker a union and we need to start electing pro-union, pro worker politicians at every level of government.

[@imaboisir7227]

​@@eussiteeussite9641 no that's not what he's saying

[@KKISCRAZYFUL]

People seem to forget why we have child labor laws. Without them, lower income families would be forced to rely on the income made from children who would in turn not have the time or mental capacity to focus on their school work. It really shows the priorities of these politicians who want kids to work instead of gaining an education.

[@NIgHTMaReFortyTwo]

They don't have to worry about lower income families though. They're rich and this will never affect their kids. They don't have to send their kids to work or war or prison.

[@cetriyasArtnComicsChannel]

Hench the real reason why they keep bugging us to have more kids, so they have more workers. It really is the poor who will have their kids working there and have even less a chance at a better life

[@grey7513]

Lower education = easier to manipulate

[@minacapella8319]

They definitely want less education to kids so it's a win win

[@cailemkostiuk377]

To be fair, its no secret that republicans want a less educated and dumber population, its who they rely on for votes.

[@djtundra8011]

“It’s too expensive to pay adults more money, so we have to go to child labor” these companies say as they literally give lawmakers $10,000s and $100,000s to pass child labor laws. Like bro you said you don’t have enough money to pay ppl…you donating that much proves it otherwise

[@missrose0077]

It's the same with the disabled. Labor laws state that a disabled person does not have to be paid minimum wage. That's why you see some thrift stores asking you to donate to help the disabled work for them. They get to keep your donation and pay less for some employees.

[@magnificentmuttley154]

This changing the law will cause a rise in child abuse at home too, as bad parents who enslave their children will be justified. Disgusting I grew up mowing lawns, painting houses, & delivering newspapers. But no one exploited me. Dont we have too many problems already?? These ppl are truly wicked

[@magnificentmuttley154]

The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog

[@stevemora7845]

​@@magnificentmuttley154Huh?

[@sonjaleesloth]

Its not their damn kids working. I hate these politicians.

[@RobinHerzig]

and lobbyists 👿

[@cosmicllama6910]

their kids also never go to war either.

[@ThailandEnthusiast]

​@S H nothing wrong with kids working. American kids are spoiled. As long as they are not being exploited or being deprived of an education. It's better than kids playing video games or tick tock all day.

[@louiearmstrong]

Many states doing this are also trying to remove "work permit" parental authorization requirements. The politicians see orphaned immigrant children and want to send them to the meatpacking plant

[@B_Estes_Undegöetz]

Stop voting for republicans. Do not fall for the culture war bullshit that they use to justify voting for them. America in a culture war manufactured by the wealthy to distract you, when in reality what working wage earning people is experiencing is a class war and the working people of ALL “CULTURES” are LOSING and have been losing for over 40 years now, with only brief mild reprieves under democrats who also too often do the bidding of the wealthy and their banks and corporations. It’s your Republican votes that do all this damage to your material economic well being. Just stop.

[@paxmundiabolition]

They’d rather roll back child labor laws to increase their workforce, then simply raise wages to keep adult workers. Simply disgusting.

[@levitatingpotato109]

This also applies to immigrants

[@Fabianvolf]

That's cute that you think they'll raise adult wages instead of giving themselves huge bonuses and paying shareholders

[@big_sea]

yes

[@BlitzkriegOmega]

Remember: the Cruelty is the point

[@nickthompson1812]

And how do you think views on abortion factor in to this? They just want you creating workers for them. Housing prices going up pricing out single individuals from owning a home, subtlety coercing people to get together to have 2 incomes. It’s all planned.

[@stodo1337]

“If the penalty for a crime is a fine, then that law only exists for the lower class.” It's funny how they just get fined, never shut down

[@J-manli]

Honestly, a fine as punishment could still work if repeat offenses compounds the fine amount. Singapore can multiply a fineable offense up to 3 times the amount of the 1st offense.

[@suave5692]

Because the government relies on them. That's why they can't shut them down. They can only give them a slap on the wrist to create an illusion of justice in the public eye.

[@poprocket2342]

​@@J-manli not when the fine amount is less than the profits made. These companies know they'll get fined. It's a calculated decision. They know they'll still make more than by not doing it. The fine is just another cost to them

[@mikafizz1022]

Where did you hear this?

[@J-manli]

@@poprocket2342 Buts that’s the argument for increasing fine amount for repeat offenses. A lot of our fines are static regardless of repeat offenses which is what allows companies to consider them as a “business expense”. If fine amounts increase again and again, it will eventually outpace a company’s profits.

[@ScionOfDarkness86]

This is particularly rough when you realize that unpaid internship is a thing in America and they are calling for child labor to be called learning opportunities.

[@CRneu]

A lot of states have banned unpaid internships, but yeah, they're still common in a lot of states.

[@jimba6486]

Yes, most are illegal. They violate federal laws on what constitutes an “internship”. Simply put, the law states that the business cannot benefit from any actual real work. The law exists explicitly to prevent a work around for free labor. You can’t hire interns to do the job of a paid employee. An internship is a learning opportunity when the intern got more out of it then the employer.

[@gottmituns698]

They would rather roll back child labor laws insted of paying adult workers a living wage.

[@CRneu]

or allowing immigration.

[@WaterZer0]

@@CRneu That's not a good solution at all. Replace "children being exploited" with "immigrants being exploited". Doesn't sound like a win to me unless you have some ulterior motives.

[@unkono]

I can't see this going wrong. Lol.

[@cmyk8964]

At age 15, I applied for a part-time job at a fast-food place. While it is normal for some teens to do part-time work here in Japan, they are neither expected nor allowed to put in long hours or do dangerous work. Iowa’s new child labor bills are not fueled by the desire to benefit children, but by the greed to benefit corporations by not paying their workers. Hy-Vee, more like Hy-ly vee-llainous, a sinister smile in every aisle.

[@Smellanie4121]

Thank you for calling out Hyvee. Seriously they are not good.

[@francismarion6400]

I started delivering newspapers at 12. Washed dishes at 13. Stock shelves at 15. Started construction at 17. Got a General Contractor license at 26. At 47 I can retire.

[@thetinykid4169]

​@@francismarion6400 You should be able to start doing construction work at 18 and be able to retire. And nobody is against kids doing jobs like stocking shelves, dishwashing and newspaper delivery as long as it doesn't take 20 hours or more. Kids are dumb and will make decisions at the expense of their health and the long term ramifications of simultaneously doing schoolwork whilst also doing as much work as they can is bad. Even things like their height could be stunted due to lack of sleep from overexerting themselves. Just let kids have short simple jobs and then they can worry about retirement once they're actually adults.

[@wernerbeinhart2320]

​@@francismarion6400 Nice, that it worked out for you. Still in good health? Just remember, that while it may have worked out for you, the statistics tell a different story

[@exlpod]

@@francismarion6400 how your knees feeling?

[@ezekielbenavides8425]

One more thing I hate about kids in the workplace, especially in shitty industries, is how often they will be taken advantage of and mistreated because they're young and naive

[@Cthulhu4President]

Yes. With the way employers are used to talking to workers, there's going to be some outbursts and crying fits. This country is so ingrained in this masculine BS that some men think little boys should act like full grown mountain men by the time they're 9. -I once had to overhear a manger literally tell an adult black woman they needed to choose between their son or their job, because they had to leave to pick their kid up.

[@huhhuh9598]

Isn't that like, *the main thing that is bad about child labour?* I'm just saying your phrasing is a little odd

[@whoarewe7647]

These kids don’t have a developed brain yet, this is disgusting!

[@thisisnotatestthisistheend]

And physically weaker at times

[@shepardvasnormandy]

That's precisely why they're pushing for it.

[@Jessica-el3dc]

I am totally against child labor. I had to start working hard work at 16 yrs. Old. Now i am 35 yrs old and burnt out completely. I have worked many dangerous factories and gotten hurt from them. And from all that work has worn down my joints and caused me bad arthritis and my cartilage to be worn down and my bones rubbing on each other at 35! And then recently I went to work at Walmart thinking it would be safer and it wasnt! A supervisor started harrassing me and stocking me and threatened me. From that l fell off a ladder and i smashed my knee on the cemented floor on the isle stocking shelves. I got a huge injury on my knee. Had to get MRI and everything and cant work now, in so much pain! And Walmart has not paid me a dime for workers compensation the whole 3 months i been out of work because of them. And cant get another job. You see I dont want this to happen to anyone and especially not kids. A kid couldn't deal with this kind of stress and trauma. And we should've have kids work this hard so early that can destroy the health of their bodies.

[@Marella2024]

I am so sorry that you are going through this. I truly wish you a speedy recovery and that your next job will allow you to be at a desk and not put more stress on your body. You are still young. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@KaoSaefong-q4n]

hello...I used to work for Walmart too, anyways how are you doing now Jessica? 🙏😀

[@GreyRock100]

Anything to keep wages down.

[@billklatsch5058]

And to keep murricans dumb - whats even more important to keep the cycle going.

[@greevar]

Absolutely correct!

[@gryph01]

And not pay benefits

[@RobinHerzig]

Bingo!

[@ManicEightBall]

That's exactly the point.

[@i8dacookies890]

Me in history class: Wow, what awful things these kids did, I'm glad I'm living in the future. Iowa: Yaaaaaaaahhhh! It's Rewind Time!

[@disunityholychaos7523]

I want to bring back modern day muckrakers...If folks fight hell to get suffrage, books and media to upend the return of valuing education & healthcare to kids. its been warning for years when the same folks who like to abolish free lunches in schools will downturn us back to child labor bacause of "well kids are so obsessed & addicted to their phones & video games hur hur back then its the coal mines & daddy's workshop in the ye olden days so manyly, so useful getting penny scraps as wages..too bad im a rich corpo white murican who writes this bills and never meet the poor folks who will suffer through this"

[@anton5138]

The '20s are back, the 1820 that is! Two weeks ago I was talking with a friend about the derailment that took place in Ohio(deregulation is doing Ohio well!) and how it reminded me of what I read about the industrial revolution and how dangerous the work was in those beginning decades. I could not have imagend that child labour is being normalized now already. Youngester can have a side job already, this really is about taking 'the next step' on the way to a fully legalize child labour. Didn't expect to see this soooo fast.

[@cosmicllama6910]

@@anton5138 Apparently some of them want to keep women from talking about our periods or breastfeeding in public too? We're literally going to forget how everything works again and people are going to think women get pregnant by sitting on a warm seat again 😮‍💨

[@DrBaldhead]

We’re calling it the Living History Bill in which your children will get to experience, first hand, getting their arms mangled in a loom machine.

[@koko-rm7ew]

That’s conservatism for ya! Keep rewinding into a ‘better time’ until we’re back to monarchy again

[@donnisthran2812]

It is heinous that corporations are being allowed to exploit kids as a way to increase their bottom line. Sick.

[@t.h.8475]

I could only thumbs up once so I did this too.

[@bb3ll07]

It’s not exploitation when the adults in America don’t want to work… they wouldn’t have to do it if people will stop being lazy and work I know kids in ghettos that want to work because their parents are poor and don’t work so they want to start early to avoid being like their parents You have to look at it from many kids perspective that actually want to work!

[@kayvahn2141]

they've been allowed to do this forever. it's just coming back to america now. europe is next.

[@somerandomguy4919]

Its even more heinous that every conservative supports child wage slavery

[@oscarsantana9983]

@@bb3ll07 This is bullshit. Maybe if jobs paid enough for people to survive they would actually want to work in all of these places. And lets say that the "people are lazy and don't want to work" propaganda was true and kids did want to work, putting them in jobs that routinely maim adults or have them working longer hours isn't the way to do things. They'll end up flunking out of school stuck at dead end jobs that won't pay them enough to survive on their own in the future. Eventually they'll burn out and end up being just like the very same people that the media and powerful say are "lazy".

[@cwhite049]

I'm from Iowa. One summer, I had a job detassling corn. They would bus a bunch of kids out (I was 14, but there were younger kids). They put us on a bus out there and controlled everything. You have to wear long sleeves and long pants because corn leaves are sharp. Iowa summers are hot and humid. They didn't let us take any breaks if we were too hot or have extra water on hand. We didn't know any better and nothing changed until a kid almost died from heatstroke. Just look what companies try to get away with with adults. It will be worse with kids.

[@k.eubanks6473]

I totally agree but these days we have the Advent of the internet. If handled correctly, a lot of children could make some money instead of just sitting around or doing drugs. There would definitely need to be strict controls on what these businesses could do which could be a deal-breaker because as you state they break every violation they can get away with.

[@t.h.8475]

My grandpa served in the Pacific in WW2. He was big and tough as hell. He worked in a meat packing plant for about 30 years. He would be angry to know he worked so hard for his country only to have children work his dangerous job.

[@LakeofCrystalclan]

I genuinely wouldn’t blame him either. He fought for freedom only for freedom to be stripped away by the very government he fought for.

[@ItsPainnz]

if i was offered 30k /yr to work in meat packing at 13 14 15 i would have said heck yea

[@barrackobama2216]

​@@ItsPainnz he said work 30 years not 30k a year

[@ItsPainnz]

@@barrackobama2216 sure, I'ma be doing that anyway

[@photofreak56]

Hell, my dad was a union steward at the colorado department of Labor who ontop of taking unemployment claims would investigate work sites to make sure they were following Osha and child labor laws. If he was still alive he would be losing his shit. Kids need time to play, explore the world around them GO TO SCHOOL, they don't need to do back-breaking labor so some rich asshole can have more money to hoard!

[@nighteule]

Reps: "We need to protect children from the evil groomers!" Also reps: "The children yearn for the mines!"

[@MondaysMakeMeVomit]

Haha I know it’s not funny but the yearn part got me

[@sugarcrystal9390]

Also the fact that they want to “protect against groomers” but child marriage is still legal in 40+ states

[@ImNotReal777]

​@@MondaysMakeMeVomit minecraft is proof that children yearn for the mines.

[@Klaevin]

A'd dems : *do nothing to prevent it, therefore making them complicit*

[@bruceluiz]

"...and the pubs full of intoxicated adults too."

[@Radhaun]

I'm guessing they won't be lowering the minimum age to run for office though. Can't have those kids being able to represent themselves!

[@MaxMckayful]

Or even just vote. They want you on the job site but unable to vote on the laws regulating that job site.

[@greevar]

That's what they're after. They want workers with as little power as possible. Children have fewer rights, are less informed, are less respected, and easier to exploit. America is a nation of slavery. It's just hidden a LOT better than it used to be. Systemic coercion is their method instead of direct violence. Low wages and high cost of living keeps people indentured to the corporations. When the hell are we going to give the means of production back to the people?

[@user-gz4ve8mw9l]

Not like it'd make a difference you need to be rich or have rich people back you to run for office.

[@danieltaylor4185]

@@MaxMckayful See pretty much all of the republican rhetoric after the midterms. Voting age to 21... what a joke. If you're old enough to work and be exploited by a corporation for your labor, you're old enough to vote.

[@LeonaPrime]

@@jfranco5124 so, so close.

[@RextheRebel]

There is big difference between working for a company in a factory and being a yard sweeper, newspaper boy, summer lifeguard and assisting your father at his shoe shop.

[@soulstorm8806]

Paper routes in larger metropolitan areas are no longer handled by children on bikes really. I mean some are quite tough for a grown up and they change nightly in the cities. Many papers have gone digital. Or partially. But the city routes remain massive. Not for kids on bikes in any case. Kids in cars and trucks filled to the very top with papers. But honestly working ever night of the year will run anyone down. After a couple years without a single night off… gets annoying.

[@mightytaiger3000]

HUGE

[@hattielankford4775]

Follow up question: Can children participate in unions? If not, wouldn't this be union busting?

[@vxicepickxv]

They certainly can't vote, so I guess it's time for another call for taxation without representation.

[@stehfreejesseah7893]

They shouldn't have to.

[@hattielankford4775]

@@stehfreejesseah7893 That's not the point, is it. Think of the result if their legislation is successful. Not only will kids be working more hours, the people that COULD'VE unionized and made those jobs safer and better paying would be replaced with people that CAN'T. So, if so, it's even worse.

[@alienvomitsex]

@@stehfreejesseah7893 If only corporate lobbyists stopped taking away all of the rights of the working class, maybe we wouldn't need unions anymore.

[@anthonymorris8891]

Even if the children are allowed to unionize it wouldn't matter. Union busting laws exist but rarely get enforced. Even when the law is enforced the penalties are laughably pitiful and do nothing to deter businesses from continuing to prevent unions.

[@johnrivera1053]

Having worked with highschoolers, a lot of them start off very excited and motivated, most of them start to burn out within a week or two. The employers toss stuff at them and few of those teenagers have any type of experience or preparation for the type of work that is given to them and physically and mentally it wears on a lot of them super fast. Jobs that break down adults with years of experience are not going to be forgiving for younger folks. A lot of them end up stressed, tired, and having wear and tear much sooner (foot, back and join problems, sores, bruises, aches, fatigue etc). It's disgusting to expect that type of thing to be acceptable for ANYONE , but then aiming it at youth cause cheap labor....disgusting is too kind of a word for the people that want child labor to return.

[@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

They do it cause it's cheap and youth slaves are easier to replace and cannot protest or fight back effectively cause the republican party knows how youth will alienate others socially

[@violettracey]

It is disgusting.

[@Threemore650]

Most heavy stuff is automated - it’s not like Victorian times.

[@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

@@Threemore650 Actually its similar. Back during victorian times, Machines were also coming into use which made jobs easier in construction, mining, clothes. Due to the sensitive nature of the machines, complex parts, etc. A skilled worker or adult worker would have difficulty trying to reach parts that were in tight places. Children were used to fit into places adults couldn't reach. Also machines then as well as today are expensive and manual labor even if it takes a little longer is still relatively cheaper especially if your labor is cheap to use, and cheap to replace.

[@thanoscube8573]

That's also seeped into some rigorous schools like the one I attend. The stress from AP classes and other 'fun' things has torn me apart. I want to go on vacation somewhere, maybe the top of a mountain. Sigh

[@Dham_Pyra]

The "children need to be children" crowd trying to bring back child labour is extremely hilarious

[@LakeofCrystalclan]

They are living, breathing, walking contradictions. It was *never* about the children. Always control.

[@Gaswafers]

To conservatives, "children" means "non-person human".

[@RachelJamesS_]

That's because it doesn't matter what "group" you're for, it's all the same crap at the end of the day with a different label.

[@cobano]

@@RachelJamesS_ Democrats or Republicans, doesn't matter. Both rule over us

[@bbbbbbb51]

​@@Gaswafers you know, if you spent less time straw manning people across the aisle, there's a good chance we wouldn't be in this mess. By all means though, keep being a part of the problem. I'm enjoying watching us fracture politically & crumble economically at the same time.

[@mikkert-zh2cf]

It's no longer possible to say that big corporations aren't evil and immoral. They don't want the best for us.

[@oilivanwarmerdam9451]

They never did

[@SameAsAnyOtherStranger]

What does it say, when corporations pay more in campaign donations than they pay in code violations?

[@DevinParker]

It says that the crimes they commit are legal for the rich.

[@greevar]

They don't face any consequences. People with vast amounts of money and nothing to hold them back are fucking dangerous. We think feudalism ended with the industrial revolution. It didn't. It just took a new form. Corporations are the new kingdoms. Billionaires are the new monarchs. The government is just a puppet of the real authority. When you walk into your workplace, you're entering a tyrannical dictatorship. Obey or find another master to serve. You'll likely starve before you find another.

[@cosmicllama6910]

that Corporations are the enemy of humanity.

[@beriukay]

That the US is a business model, not a nation

[@stehfreejesseah7893]

Or in lawyer fees to break up unions.

[@tammygant4216]

I can't stop thinking about this. If you're working hard to change a law, but you're unwilling to talk on camera about that new law--who it benefits and how-- then you know that what you're doing is wrong. You know that your motivations are wrong. You know that your values and/or priorities are wrong. You just don't care, because your pocket is your priority and besides this will only impact "those people" or "that part of town".

[@planescaped]

Only the poors will need to have their children work. Decent and good society won't be affected at all! Murica really is becoming a dystopia. Cannibalize the rich.

[@leiah6514]

Welcome to America, the republic of lobbyist bureaucracy. Blows my mind that paying two fat cats to get what you want instead of voting is the standard but here we are.

[@hollyhock9638]

It's sick

[@meredithnavin1358]

Hyvee gets fined $750k for child labour laws. Donates $850k to weaken said child labour laws. Fines must be big enough to be a deterrent and not a cost of doing business.

[@dougdimmadomeownerofthedim2918]

With how much they been lobbying over the years, they could legit pay their adult workers a living wage

[@LukeLane1984]

740k... It's pennies to them. It should be billions.

[@wildfire9280]

@@dougdimmadomeownerofthedim2918 They always have. Cost of labor isn’t the cost of doing business to them, it’s something that needs to be suppressed.

[@DystopianSideCharacter]

We should just make it a criminal offense.

[@saosaqii5807]

That’s literally almost 2 million and that’s literally chump change. Just to give a perspective 1 billion is 1000 million. 2 million is straight up nothing.

[@UntitledShorts]

My mom grew up in a small town in Iowa. Everyone there would say that there is a greedy smirk on every clerk because of the way they would put local grocery stores out of business. And now, they want to close 3 locations in poor urban areas, causing between 50,000 and 80,000 people to go into a food desert. Truly a disgusting company.

[@abbynormal3068]

My husband worked construction for years. One day, he witnessed a co worker fall off a roof. The co worker lived, but due to his legs telescoping, suffered through several surgery procedures and was in a body cast for months. His ankles had visible metal screws sticking out of them and it was very disconcerting to be around him, knowing how much pain he was experiencing. This was a grown man. He fell because a foothold broke off the roof. Teenagers are notorious for not having the maturity or the ability to make logical choices and I can think of many types of jobs and scenarios where a kid might make the wrong decision on a construction site and not live to see the end of the day. But, hey- a company doesn’t have to pay for insurance coverage for part-timers or invest in a whole lot of time consuming instruction (time is money), so it’s a big win for them.

[@joe_zupko]

Honestly they might be more likely to follow the safety rules. A lot of adults are all jacked up because of poor lifestyle choices so they don’t really think straight most of the time either. Is it right? Who knows. But I definitely thought more clearly when I was younger

[@aaronmcmillen8140]

Kids are more restrained? Really? How long ago were you a kid, because you've forgotten the unkillable mindset of kids. We all thought we were invincible. Your argument is beyond stupid.​@@joe_zupko

[@zacharyforeal]

​@@joe_zupko all of the adults I know that are jacked up are retired factory workers.

[@joannaquanttumphysics]

And worker's comp is just a scam so you can't sue your employer!!!

[@GummyDinosaursify]

I worked in a Diner at 14 because my parents forced me to get a job. Not only was it absolutely horrible as I worked with a bunch of adults who were drunk or high all the time, I was forced to do multiple jobs (basically everything but cooking) for $3 an hour, 12 hours a day with no breaks (my state does not require any break or lunch be given) and no tips. Not to mention the injuries that included but not limited to tearing my rotator cuff on my left shoulder to the point my arm would go numb and I couldn't use it, had a bad knee injury that caused pretty bad arthritis to this day, cut the top of one of my fingers off, ripped the nerve endings in another finger.... It killed my social life, my grades plummeted and I felt so exhausted 24/7 that I ended up falling asleep in class. The snowball of that ended up leading me to fall into a long depression into my 20's into my early 30's. I had no friends, worked 40+ hours a week on minimum wage ($8 at the time) at jobs that would not let me sit or take a lunch with bosses that were basically cartoon villains and never had any money to my name as buying a car, insurance for said car and rent was all I could afford. I wouldn't wish this on any child. I'm in a better place now but working as a child really messed up my life for near two decades. It's insane that people want their kids to work.

[@ScarryGargoyle]

You’re not alone. I have a similar story to tell. This is corrupt and saddening. Let’s do something! Let’s all actually get together and begin organizing, a working class uprising! No one is stupid. I think Intelligence is the ability to use the tools around you. We have plenty, social media, discord. If we all came together, money, our voices, everything combined. Will make the change. If we all ignore each other because it makes us feel uncomfortable… we will eventually become livestock, more than we are now. Cmon anyone… can you hear me? Let’s make a discord server or something to start… a Reddit thread.

[@stuart4rd700]

You shouldn't have had to go through that. I'm so sorry.

[@Victoria-gq8gt]

Im so sorry for those injustices heaped upon you from such an early age. Life is so long when you are always suffering too.

[@skurge8691]

Minimum wage jobs are a dime a dozen,. Why did you stick around so long?

[@eudofia]

​@@skurge8691 Because you don't have time or money to develop other skills which sometimes unnecessary certification of some sort. You become trapped in a vicious cycle.

[@Tek0nn]

Would the people writing and passing these laws let their own kids work in these dangerous industries? Doubtful.

[@wizardoffrobozz]

None of their kids have to work. Most probably don't enlist either.

[@armorhide406]

"Rules for thee and not for me"

[@billtomson5791]

Hardly doubtful. Certainly not. The new feudalism is rapidly devolving into the new plantation era.

[@SuperLivelife2010]

​@@armorhide406 I like this saying ❤

[@Jon_EL]

The Dukes and Earls children dont till the fields thats for you peasants to do…

[@Rat89]

Children working at bars serving alcohol is a big red flag for some kind of abuse to occur

[@yunix2396]

Hearing the Meatpacking Industry wanting to bring back and take advantage of child labor instantly reminded me of the Upton Sinclair novel The Jungle. These corporations are a blight on the working class.

[@JuwanBuchanan]

Welcome to capitalism

[@akumakorgar]

@James Sheppard "Crony capitalism" is a term made up by CLASSCUCKS to obscure and hide the fact that this is what capitalism ALWAYS was and always has been, unless you think all of that child labor during the Victorian Era was not somehow capitalism? the height of the British Empire, the explosion of industrialization in places like Manchester and Birmingham, not capitalism? "Crony capitalism" is a made up concept to just magically wave away any criticisms of actual capitalism as it exists in the real world. Stop being a bootlicking toad, wake up. The working people of the world need to rise up and fight the people who are parasitically grinding them down into the dust.

[@akumakorgar]

@James Sheppard "juwannaeverythingforfree" Honestly, people work their fingers to the bone and can barely even afford to live anymore despite it, and when people cry out for justice and an end to having the whip cracked on their backs to barely get by, absolute buckets of slime like yourself come along and chortle idiotically, "Hurr hurr you just want everything for free." How can you accuse anyone of wanting anything for free when they're already MAKING and BUILDING everything in the economy and all they want is a fair slice of the pie? I honestly can't even express how pissed off sycophantic worms like this make me.

[@noahjones9833]

@James Sheppard no. This is just capitalism. This is *exactly* what everyone has been warning about for literally over a fucking century. This is not abnormal, this is *entirely* expected. If you sit down and consider the basic facts of what a capitalist system is and how it truly functions for longer than 3 seconds, it should be painfully clear. The lie of crony capitalism is either sheer stupidity, or willful ignorance

[@selalewow]

Maybe the school shooters aren't taking out enough kids so the so called Family party figured out a better way.

[@joewwilliams]

Can this "to fill jobs" argument go away since we know ghost job openings are a thing?

[@rickb3650]

As long as they control the media, reality doesn't matter.

[@OscarLangleySoryu]

@Kougami purple squirrel...?

[@Veritech617]

Seriously, can't we just keep our child labor and slavery outside the country.

[@jessh4016]

Ghost job openings: These are job openings that are advertised by employers, but which are already filled or for which there is no real intention to hire someone. Ghost job openings can be frustrating for job seekers who spend time and effort applying for a job that is not actually available. Sometimes, employers may advertise ghost job openings as a way to keep up appearances or to build a database of potential candidates for future openings. Purple squirrel jobs: These are job openings that are extremely difficult to fill because they require a very specific set of skills or qualifications. The term "purple squirrel" refers to a mythical creature that is almost impossible to find. For example, a purple squirrel job might require a very specific combination of education, work experience, and certifications that are rare or hard to come by. Employers may struggle to find candidates who meet all of the requirements for a purple squirrel job, which can lead to a lengthy and difficult hiring process.

[@RamenNoodle1985]

Maybe if they paid better they wouldn't need children.

[@jimmyjohn8008]

I know I went to 6 flags for the first time in 10 years last year after school started in the metro area 6 disappointed. The lines were so long that it took an hour just to get food, and only half the rides were open at a time. So the ride lines were long as well.

[@OscarLangleySoryu]

​​@@jimmyjohn8008 Don't worry, soon you and your child will be getting strapped into roller coasters and sent hurling into the sky at 60mph by their elementary school peers who say, "HI, Jimmy John Jr's Dad! Pwease push up on da lapbah," as their other classmate stands on a stepstool to crane their neck over the controls Children have TONS of energy. The lines will be way quicker.

[@RoodiniCats]

Bingo

[@RoodiniCats]

​@Dr. Pyssinshytz good point. We don't want them to go without

[@donedeal8385]

That's the point. They're doing this as a move to not pay better. I bet there's provision to pay these minors less than min wage too.

[@pteechka1]

It's important that legislators do all they can to protect the American citizens from the dangers of higher wages.

[@vincemarenger7122]

You bring children to the workforce. If the supply of unskilled workers increase, then its value will DECREASE. For the same reason. if there's more limonade on the market, you'll pay less because of the competition. I don't know what you were thinking

[@LoganKaser]

Whoosh

[@EnverHalilHoxha1917]

@@vincemarenger7122 dude.. obviously stuart is onto something.. you just dont get it... Trust me bruv...

[@JemmyBobs-kv9ku]

Lmao

[@thedeliveryboy1123]

living wage jumpscare

[@spacecaptain9188]

They just want to keep pay low. They've been arguing for ages that jobs like McD's shouldn't be higher, because it's meant to be a kids job, for spending money, not a living wage job for staying housed and fed, and raising a family. Making more jobs available to kids, means fewer jobs for adults aka fewer living wage jobs.

[@gaziltapig]

at the same time they want to raise the retirement age...

[@FUNKY_BUTTLOVIN]

It is wild because, so few have the imagination to realize that some truly just have to enter the workforce at entry-level... it's never "their fault," these are kids who just don't have families, or don't have families that are supporting them after high school. They HAVE TO earn a living wage, or, alternately, they can curl up and die... Or, they can become criminals, and prey on people, because that's all the options provided by our society. We live in a closed system, these policies and attitudes create an entire class of people operating as animals, living in a world where it really is eat-or-be-eaten, something most people can't even fathom. We choose to create real danger for everybody, in the name of slightly cheaper consumer goods.

[@thepoifessor]

If those jobs are only for young people, the supply of workers is very limited. This means those jobs should pay more due to the limited supply of workers and high demand for workers.

[@denisemayosky1955]

​@@gaziltapig And the cost of everything - like housing, food, etc. - skyrockets, with no end in sight.

[@cryptbeast3222]

@@thepoifessor That's a huge motivator behind banning abortion and going after birth control nationwide. A lot more kids born into desperate situations. A perfect, evergrowing employment pool for this scheme.

[@erickhuntsman240]

I started working in the United States around 9 years old cutting spray foam insulation. I took a few years off for school and eventually got into trouble so back to the labor force I went. Fulltime at 14 on. By 15 I had a compromised disk in my back I received no help for. By 18 I had 2 bad disks, chronic hip problems, almost lost a few fingers, severe stress and anxiety. At 27 I've found that I wake up in extreme pain some days and others I wake up KNOWING it's going to be a bad week. Rain and snow make it worse as well as the cold because EVERYTHING hurts. To top it all off I have an agregiously aggressive take on work ethic and often times "work myself out of a job" because I have incredibly high expectations most people can't meet. This coupled with poor compensation packages sees to it that I don't make it very far very often all while these companies profit off my blood sweat and tears. I'm fed up. My daughter will NOT work until 18 unless it I'd for herself under my supervision. End of discussion. Child labor ruins lives in the long run. I live with pain on a day to day basis that responsible parties don't even have to think about. For the rest of my life I will suffer because I was pushed to work like a mule because I'm a "stout" man.

[@didforlove]

human/animal/natural resource is what we are to this corporations

[@marcosdiaz6673]

@John Meigs Do you mean the same protections that corporate lobbyists are bribing politicians to move to get rid of? Definitely not related to politics, no.

[@deenanthekemoni5567]

Too relatable 😔 Same boat sir. Same boat. I've never been treated like a human at work, always a young rugged machine ready to rape for profit to the top. I'm 35 and feel like I am 55 physically. Have nothing to show for it. Hard work stopped paying off decades ago.

[@didforlove]

@@deenanthekemoni5567 it stopped paying a very long time ago maybe early 90s this is due to an economic/cultural/systemic/monetary collapse combined with 8 billion souls we are not in balance with the eco system its unsustainable

[@cgonz777]

Knowing what I went thru as a waitress and bartender, I really hate the thought of a child having to work in that environment.

[@mightymeatymech]

i tell so many younger people that if they can go their whole lives without working hospitality, they should. that entire industry has made me so bitter.

[@jalifritz8033]

Especially young girls

[@bradhaines3142]

​@@mightymeatymechi disagree, i think it should be required. knowing how awful being on that end of the stick is a great way for people to not make it as awful for others.

[@mightymeatymech]

@@bradhaines3142 i'm just never going to be the type of person that says my little brother needs to be harassed assaulted or worse by predatory managers to learn how to be kind to service workers. people who enjoy being little lords over service workers aren't going to stop getting their little power trip hard ons just because someone made them work a shit job tbh. that being said, i'd love a reality show where snotty customers have to spend a double shift working lmao. i just wouldn't expect it to actually change some people...

[@johnh.mcsaxx3637]

​@@bradhaines3142On the other hand it can also just make them even more aggressive. They might quit or turn to crime to avoid getting a regular job again (like some of the addicts where I live).

[@guilhermenovo8967]

One thing that always surprises me in US politics is how bribery is legal in the form of "lobying" like what the actual this even is if not rich people paying to govern your country for you ? Not that some heinous stuff doesn't happen in my country but here it's at least against the law and so can be punished.

[@planescaped]

America is slowly but surely becoming a true corporatocracy .

[@Zimbobroke]

@@planescapedalready is, democrats and republicans are two sides of the exact same coin with mild differences, both sponsored by corporations to maintain the status quo.

[@lyinarbaeldeth2456]

The differences aren't so mild if you're one of the minority groups the Republicans like to call pogroms on.

[@WaterZer0]

Capitalism in government form

[@bradhaines3142]

​@@WaterZer0stop blaming everything on capitalism. this is an oligarchy, lots different

[@zaammiii]

"We're protecting the children from the groomers!!!!!! But also we're keeping child marriage legal and reintroducing child labor"

[@oyotundookubegwa520]

Being gay is a sin. Period, end of story. Marriage once puberty ends is (what, 15/16 or so?) according to the Scriptures, not a sin. Working at a young age - within limits - promotes a strong lifelong work ethic. Americans have become lazy and soft.

[@homosexualitymydearwatson4109]

The double standards are real. Similarly we’re not allowed to have abortions, but you won’t be able to afford a potential baby, we want to defund the department of education, and you’ll probably have to send the future kid to work because that’s the only way to go about funding their miserable existence

[@blacky_Ninja]

Rules for thee, but not for me

[@eljefethechef]

It's almost as if the both sides are a bunch of rats with the same handlers 🤔

[@maklame3318]

@@eljefethechef hush. Its easier to listen to my reptilian tribalism.

[@theprecipiceofreason]

You shouldn't have to work if you are too young to vote and too young to understand when you are being exploited, abused, injured. This is idiotic.

[@sharongillesp]

Sad but true. And guess what? They want to lower the drinking and voting ages so we can’t use the intelligent argument you made.

[@chey7691]

I had to work as soon as I could, or we would be on the streets. Not everyone sadly has the opportunity for a normal childhood. I understand the harm done on a personal level, but I never told people about my childhood because they don't believe it happens in "the greatest country". I'm glad I have come to terms with the abuse, and have been trying to keep others from suffering the same.

[@theprecipiceofreason]

@@chey7691 Same. Ended up in the hospital, due to an overloaded logging truck losing it's brakes on a long downhill road. I was 12.

[@chey7691]

@@theprecipiceofreason though I was working earlier than when it happened I was barely in puberty when I was ran over by a truck, and no disability because I can still technically "walk". So I am still working starvation wages to survive, no time for school cannot drive because of leg issues. How has this suffering been a head start on life? Why do people turn a blind eye to it?

[@theprecipiceofreason]

@@chey7691 Because belief in destiny is the ultimate condemnation of humanity? I really don't know why.

[@DavidMartinez-sr7um]

POV: You are a U.S citizen your labor gets taxed, but you cannot vote.

[@PatGilliland]

Gosh sounds like Stalinism to me. with corporate "citizens" on the politburo

[@thuun5607]

@@PatGilliland stalinism doestn exist lol

[@Ozzianman]

​@@thuun5607 It did exist during Stalins era of the Soviet Union and is a subideology of Communism.

[@alienvomitsex]

​@@PatGilliland No. It doesn't. People who use whataboutism are dumbasses.

[@thuun5607]

@@Ozzianman yeah, in hearts of iron jajajajaja Stalinism is not an ideology, philosofy, doctrine or branch of marxism or whatever you want to call it. It is just a word for the soviet union of stalin through orientalism(kinda like racism). A scary word thrown around by liberals and right wingers, or by leftists lacking in education, like socdems or proper leftists that havent engaged with the literature. I believe hakim did a video on the thing, go look it up if you want an actual explanation

[@jackcarraway4707]

Conservative here. Here would be my rules: 1. 16 is the youngest a person can work; 14 is too young. A 14 year old wanting to mow yards with his dad's lawn mower is perfectly fine. 2. The job can not involve serving alcohol or require the use of dangerous machinery. For example, a 16 year old working at McDonalds can run the register and clean, but not handle the grill. 3. When school is not in session, they can work up to 4 hours per shift, 20 hours per week and cannot work past 9pm. When school is in session, the hours are halved and they can't work past 8pm. 4. They cannot be left alone at any time. 5. They should not displace any workers. This should be like an internship where it's more of a learning experience. 6. Their paycheck is completely exempt from taxation until they turn 18. I firmly believe if you can't vote then your paycheck should not be subject to taxation.

[@juannaym8488]

Sounds all good to me. The taxation part too. Started working at 15 and I didn't have to pay taxes until 18 on my pay checks. I paid a little for my healthcare and that's all. It was nice money whilst I pursued my GED

[@bradleypollack5658]

This is the reason why you shouldn’t be a conservative!!

[@TwistedRootsMelody]

There is a place to claim "exempt" on the tax forms when you get hired if you are being claimed by someone else (parents) for taxes.

[@1JamesMayToGoPlease]

We desperately need an uprising by the working class.

[@sydastark]

It’s overdue

[@julietfischer5056]

We shouldn't need it, yet here we are.

[@NIgHTMaReFortyTwo]

The top 1% have better equipment and more resources. They've spent years and tons of cash on buffing up their security to the point that the average joe is completely outclassed. The uprising will just be the usual throwing of bricks and bottles and the police will bring out the hoses and tear gas and rubber bullets. The actual enemy will still just be chilling in their mansions more or less unaware of what is going on.

[@J-manli]

Ever wondered what the National Guard's true function is? Read up on how the West Virginia Coal Wars ended.

[@Gala-yp8nx]

It’s going to happen if they continue to erode worker rights and attack the middle class.

[@nquisitiv3471]

When I was 15 I worked at a McDonald's and they had me unknowingly breaking federal laws by using people's receipts to make false good reviews for the restaurant. They'd hand me a wad of receipts and have me do it in the back

[@honkhonk8009]

You can make bank off the lawsuit. Thats a literal paycheck waiting to happen

[@joshuaa7266]

@@honkhonk8009 Imo it would be risky, I'm not too familiar with the law but I have heard of cases where companies will pin legal troubles on the individuals that got the spotlight when it was their system that caused the problem. I wouldn't be surprised if they at least tried to pin it on someone lower down or even op themselves to get out of trouble, especially if they don't have documentation of the crime and being asked to commit it.

[@Kremithefrog1]

Getting paid to do reviews sounds horrible!

[@BulletTracer]

@@honkhonk8009 how do I pursue this? They did this at Panda Express with me and the crew when I worked there last year

[@danielroth8738]

Are you sure this actually happened?

[@tae5184]

Concerned about the number of children who will be forced and coerced into working by their own families. When you're 14 and you parents want your checks there not much, if anything you can do to say no.

[@DOMiNOUKAE]

run away

[@hambone4984]

​@@DOMiNOUKAE in a lot of states you get dragged back home and if you keep running away then you get sent to jail or a kind of "home for troubled teens" where you're lumped in with other kids that have committed hard crimes and have untreated or undiagnosed issues. I tried running away A LOT as a kid and teen, especially when I had to start working and all of my money kept "mysteriously" disappearing, and if I didn't have money or would hide my money to where it couldn't be found then I'd runaway because I'd rather face the steeets then what I'd deal with at home. Even telling officers what was happening and all I got was "your parents are trying to keep a roof over everyone's head, why are you trying to make your family homeless?"

[@wildfire9280]

@@hambone4984 Have you heard of a certain biker gang?

[@Gaswafers]

The family unit has always been a branch of state power.

[@BrocksJellyFilledDoughnuts]

I had concerns of this topic, so I looked it up on KZbin naturally and it was shadow banned despite many videos covering it. What the auto search didn't mind showing me was child labor happening in other countries. Just something I'd share, along with the fact that we have a child marriage and adult illiteracy problem.

[@RunFitn]

I worked on a farm during the summer every year as a kid. During harvest, we had to work from 7 am to 9-11 pm. The was not a family farm. We were denied breaks because it was too busy. When I collected my check at the end of the season, they deducted an hour for each day for “lunch.” My response was that we never had a lunch break. The response was along the lines of, “if you add up the time you had off throughout the day, such as between trucks, it adds up to an hour.”

[@IgneousExtrusive]

That's nuts.

[@yoshikirby101]

That's so fucking illegal

[@autumnnoahlea5223]

modern slavery. maybe you could still sue them 🥲

[@dwolf4164]

Set fire to the harvest.

[@user-qf5kl6cv2y]

@@autumnnoahlea5223 Suing is too expensive.

[@maipai101]

We sink lower everyday.

[@NIgHTMaReFortyTwo]

Until the US/UK get off their asses away from the things the 1% made to keep us placated it'll just keep getting worse. Get out and fight for your rights like the French.

[@darkthunder301]

We sink lower because enough people _allow us to._ Not sure how far John Stewart's quote reached how we don't bend towards justice without effort, but he is 100% correct on this one.

[@nickanderson412]

There is no bottom. Fight back.

[@Groffili]

There is nothing wrong _in general_ with getting young people into jobs. European countries have centuries of experience with "apprenticeships", and having young people learning a job practically instead of just in theory or a santized form in schools does have advantages. But then... these educations are highly regulated and supervised... and given what I have learned about the "conservative" American approach to regulations, making sure teens get good vocational training is not the goal here. It is, as always, making more money for rich corporations.

[@jessh4016]

Exactly. I had a summer job when I was a kid, but kids shouldn't be in full time overnight meat packing positions, and they shouldn't even be working part time during school season. Some of them are trying to support their families, but then why aren't the parents receiving a living wage in the first place?

[@francismarion6400]

No not true. As a contractor, I can't employ my own son on my jobsite until he turns 18. It's a sin against nature. I will break the law and put him to work anyway at 14. This is my God given right.

[@wernerbeinhart2320]

Apprenticeships are also often exploitative: Labour laws ignored, instead of learning new skills, the apprentices have to do the work their already licensed bosses and collegues don't want to do for far less of a wage. A big offender regarding this in Germany are hospitals and small to medium sized trade companies.

[@antcantcook960]

Praising centuries old labor exploitation 😂because it’s “European”.

[@deathlight4210]

@@francismarion6400 ew

[@sonorasgirl]

I genuinely don’t know how they sleep at night. How do you reinstate child labor and NOT realize you’re a supervillain?

[@planescaped]

Ivory tower dwelling, privileged, self-absorbed cretins who genuinely don't care about the plights of others outside their immediate circle despite what they may claim. AKA politicians and the wealthy.

[@CRneu]

because a lot of republicans have had very, very easy lives and think that the problems people are talking about can't exist in today's world. That and people are paying them to sponsor these template-style bills. All these bills are written by the same lobbyists. These politicians likely havent actually read them or don't understand how they'll be implemented. Remember, republicans don't give a crap until it happens to them.

[@paulipock6981]

Imagine the amounts of money they are raking in, besides it's not their kids who'll suffer.

[@Arius_Astronomy]

I will say this, me working on a farm at 14 was a valuable life experience. It taught me the value of difficult labor, it helped me understand where I food comes from and how fucked up the current food industry is in the U.S., it motivated me to get good grades so that way I wouldn't have to end up always doing farm work, and it made me money. However, HOWEVER, school and safety always came first, both from myself and my employer. This roll back on hour limits and workplace safety is a blatant attempt to take advantage of individuals who are less capable of defending themselves from being taken advantage of.

[@francismarion6400]

lol. As a contractor I think I should be free to employ my son if I feel he is ready at 14.

[@StripedCheeseBread]

Big Ed takes the same advantage of the young ones as big corporate America because they also are big corporate America. The best way is to teach entrepreneurship in children to live and think for themselves.

[@alipennington3764]

​@@francismarion6400 yeah but if you employ him at fifteen and his schooling is affected, or god forbid, the kid is injured in a way that impacts them long term; that may cause negative impact on any potential careers or post secondary that your kid may be interested in in the future.

[@glutenfree7057]

Kids are allowed to work lol, just not more than 20 hours a week…and I hope you weren’t made to do the truly heavy work. Yes, working a job NOT in factories or hard labor can be valuable, but education is even more, and you shouldn’t let kids favor jobs over education because they’ll just end up years later in a dead-end job with stagnant wages.

[@StripedCheeseBread]

@@glutenfree7057 but that’s exactly what kids in education end up doing anyway.

[@ricopena2053]

Let kids be kids! If we can’t protect kids what the hell are we doing! They get ran over playing outside, shot at schools, and now we want them to work to death! I hate this country, truly.

[@austinreed7343]

Getting run over isn’t a big deal, apparently. Don’t hear that on the news. Is this a reference to Not Just Bikes?

[@catlerbatty]

@@austinreed7343 no way you said that with a straight face

[@austinreed7343]

@@catlerbatty I did not. But we don’t seem to hear that on the news much.

[@catlerbatty]

@@austinreed7343 Oh I see, your original reply was too open ended lol. Nice to see a notjustbikes fan in the wild 👀

[@austinreed7343]

@@catlerbatty Wonder if OP has heard of that channel

[@ANunes06]

The wild shit to me is that there are probably old-heads on the lines at some of these factories who lived through: Having a union Having the union slowly eroded by right to work laws Having no union but decent pay and benefits Having that pay stop being decent while they stopped getting raises Having their benefits disappear multiple times in stock market bubbles And they may soon have to work with literal middle schoolers.

[@maureentbergeron2521]

I'm a retired teacher. I saw firsthand that part-time work for underage kids is never part-time. I has one student who kept falling asleep in class because they'd promoted her to shift manager at Chipotle. She regularly worked until 1 a.m. on school nights. She was 16! Her family needed the money, so she worked at least 40+ hrs. a week. So sad that these people put profits above the futures of these young people.

[@Sandra-hc4vo]

children need to be in school getting an education, the biggest way to lift oneself out of a lifetime of poverty, and working too much during these years puts their education at risk. Also looking back in time to child labor, if that's where we are headed, so many kids died young from these.

[@burnttoast1076]

School doesn’t educate kids though. It more like jail.

[@ChristopherElrod]

What about the children who disrupt everyone else's education? Can we just get them to fill out some job applications?

[@wanusanus4061]

​@Christopher Elrod Children acting out in school need special attention, they shouldn't be left behind by society

[@ChristopherElrod]

​@@wanusanus4061 I think children who act out in school should seek special attention from their parents or mental health counselors. If they plan on being a burden to everyone around them, they might as well get used to being left behind by society. However, I do think individuals who exhibit kindness and diligence, despite physical or mental challenges, should be celebrated.

[@Gamingpandacat]

The education system is a joke and whitewashed to hell and back, its meant to produce servile workers who do what they're told and don't think for themselves, homeschooling is constantly being pushed on people and the mass shootings won't stop because they're beneficial to this end, kids are already dying in schools and its the system working as intended.

[@zenniththefolf4888]

I turned 18 last year, I didn't work during my high school years because I wanted to focus on education. I'm glad I did. But now that I actually have a part time job and I am now pursuing more education. 20+ hr work weeks plus classes have been kicking my a** I find it despicable that businesses are pushing even more to find cheap labor to overwork. Using the free-time that children have as an excuse to raise the clock out limit to 11pm in the summer. Disgusting. I wouldn't wish that kind of punishment on anyone, especially children.

[@ganymedehedgehog371]

My friends in high school all wanted to work extra. It can be abused but if you can manage your time there’s no issue in working longer or later. I was in sports and a full AP/honors workload and got a 4.4 gpa while working the max 20hrs a week. Let people who wanna work work. Just because you can’t handle it doesn’t mean others can’t.

[@bittiebee]

​@Ganymede Hedgehog Just because YOU can, doesnt mean EVERYONE can. People are not a hive mind, humans function as individuals. Everyone has varrying degrees of mental and physical capabilities and limits before reaching their breaking point. Life isn't a contest, and you aren't "better" because you can work more.

[@DumbledoreMcCracken]

​@@ganymedehedgehog371 what kind of work did you predominantly do? I ask because there are people who sleep "on the job" and others who break their tailbones.

[@ganymedehedgehog371]

@@DumbledoreMcCracken I worked drive thru at a busy Wendy’s. we were pretty much always skeleton crew even when it was really busy. It wasn’t easy, but I won’t act as if I did construction or anything insanely taxing on my body. It wasn’t easy like some of my friends jobs, but I won’t act as if it was a job that wears you to the bone by nature.

[@3namechangezalowdevry90day7]

@@bittiebee I worked 40+ hours some weeks while in high school. GPA could have been better and I fell asleep in class some, but I still graduated early. It's hard but it can be done. Pre-teens working are generally illegals that are debt slaves of the cartels. If they didn't have agricultural jobs they'd be put to work as drug dealers and h00kers to pay their debts.The LESSER evil is better than the GREATER evil. Restrictions on the hours USA teens can work won't help illegal migrant kids because the illegals work using adult USA citizens' social security numbers.

[@thegreatempire3882]

Years ago when I worked for Hy-Vee, I witnessed them breaking child labor laws by making high school students work until midnight because of a manager screw up. Even though the kid was in a different department than me, I told him to go home. He was scheduled to 10 and it was a school night. Luckily the state that I love in has a law that clearly states that Minors must have a cut off time at 10:00pm. Then there was the Osha violations. In the department I worked in, none of the blade guards were fitted correctly or missing completely. Some of the equipments' safety switches were bypassed so they can operate without their guards installed. Also, everyone should see what they do when the health inspector comes through in some of the departments.

[@BulletTheEnforcer]

Wow…they would rather gut the child labor laws than pay adults a fair wage. Furthermore, they don’t want kids educated on the reality of the system because that runs the risk of these children growing up to become adults who might change things. I’m absolutely ducking fisgusted.

[@DOMiNOUKAE]

gen x and boomers are doing this

[@IzzenArt]

​@@DOMiNOUKAE Selfish, myopic people that perpetuate a greed-glorifying system are doing this. Don't care how old they are.

[@BulletTheEnforcer]

@@DOMiNOUKAE My dad is a “boomer.” He works 45 - 60 hours per week. His job doesn’t treat him right. He’s not doing this. I have several gen X cousins who are scraping by with menial jobs. They’re not doing this. This action is due to the rich and the powerful. True, some of the company heads might be boomers or gen x, but some were born in the 1930s and 1940s. This is a wealth thing, not an age thing.

[@Gamingpandacat]

@@DOMiNOUKAE While it may be true its actually those in power who just so happen to be old farts, its our laughable excuse of a republic that's to blame, you can say whatever you want on the campaign trail, the people who actually payed for your speaking engagements dictate what your actions are, and since working people only have enough money for themselves if at all, you don't have to care about them past the ballot box. If voting meant anything we wouldn't be allowed to do it, stay strong spread theory

[@gharm9129]

@@DOMiNOUKAE shit take, it's the jews.

[@tubesism]

People are quick to go “no! We can’t increase minimum wage! It will raise prices!” I don’t hear many people going “no! We can’t enable child labor! It will decrease my pay!” Replace workers with cheap robots: OH NO! Replace workers with cheap immigrants: OH NO! Replace workers with cheap children: we sleep…

[@darkandedgy1457]

That's literally every comment fucking pearl clutchers I swear.

[@gothboschincarnate3931]

Replace workers with cheap robots: Only if it sets us free.

[@Wulfstan1938]

$7.25 here LOL Iowa is a sick state everyone should 100% come here to work and live....

[@theresahumphrey7371]

Thank you for exposing him and the efforts.

[@Meitti]

This is a bit of overdramatization, I've had 40 hour week summerwork in construction since I was 14, and this was in early 2000's. And the country is Finland. Construction does have jobs that don't require sharp objects or heavy machinery, such as house painting and putting mortar on wall screws. Lot of these proposed changes have been a thing in Europe for decades. That being said the alcohol serving and meat packing plant one is suspect. Have worked in meat plants myself since I was 18. While meat refineries do have bloodless jobs towards the end of the meat plant where hamburgers look like hamburgers instead of gory pieces of meat, packaging and logistics machines are quite big. The summerwork in question would have to be some very simple and lightweight conveyor belt jobs that don't require sharp tools, forklifts or lifting anything too heavy.

[@tj-co9go]

that's a problem with Europe I think. Working under 18 yo for me is really somethibg I wouldn't allow, too young and at risk of abuse. If I was super idealistic I would allow nobody to work but it is a necessity and 18 yo can be a good cutoff in lack of a better date The problem is while I went to high school and eventually university some people who study in vocational education need to get work faster. They would need experience. Or if they didn't get to any further school - no longer such a problem since it is compulsory.

[@chiaradamore-klaiman8692]

“There’s your tease” !?!? He seems almost giddy about putting kids in danger. If you’re from a poor family, your mind and body just doesn’t matter.

[@thegamer5367]

Tells you something about how they want to use kids. Why do you think a lot of them are found doing no-no stuff with non-adults?

[@mrjoykak]

@@thegamer5367 would you consider convincing someone else's kid that they are transgender a "no-no thing" ???

[@angelainamarie9656]

@@mrjoykak Nobody does that. Trans kids announce themselves because they're in pain. Banning their healthcare is immensely cruel, and constitutes child abuse in my opinion. Ignorant mumblefux should stay out of that conversation. Let actual health professionals do their jobs. your know-it-all BS attitude does not constitute a second opinion.

[@makuru.42]

@@mrjoykak oh wow an actual open bait, that's refreshing if only I knew about the other half of people if there joking or serious.

[@OscarLangleySoryu]

​@@mrjoykak literally any evidence ever? NO? STILL??? What do you get out of this

[@tabsterg]

The fun part is how there is *no democratic or legal recourse* to fight this back at all Like, what are you gonna do when the corporations can simply pay the laws into existence?

[@bittiebee]

Within a generation or two, society is literally going to be completely run by corporations just like in cyberpunk lol.

[@tabsterg]

@@bittiebee society tried having sensible labour laws for about a century and capitalists said fuck it let's go back to the 1800s child labour go brrr Honestly if i didn't die in a heat wave by then I'll just vandalize everything i can

[@jameso2290]

It already is. If they can just effectively buy new laws, the "democratic" element of our society is already just a goofy sock puppet draped over an iron fist. Basically a symbolic gesture that only vaguely "looks democratic" to anyone who doesn't notice the googly eyes on the sock puppet are mocking them.

[@raerohan4241]

@@bittiebee Or the people are going to revolt before it gets to that point. Doesn't look like stability is currently in America's future...

[@shesaidsomething1]

Vote progressive and f*ck 'em.

[@brandon9689]

Paying current candidates a dignified wage is completely out of the question. They instantly skip that step and aim that itchy boot at the throats of our children.

[@thaddeusalphonse908]

Lobbying is still the most messed up thing in our politics. No other issue can ever be fixed when money is the first thing and people second.

[@bobmartin9918]

If future generations are working growing up instead of learning, they will never question the powers that be.

[@dan_hitchman007]

That's the point.

[@vikitheviki]

There's some pretty smart kiddos out there, a lot smarter than most republican governors and lawmakers. They should be allowed to hold public office also.

[@OscarLangleySoryu]

I would gladly hand the keys to the country over to elementary school students rather than Republicans. Probably rather than Democrats as well tbh

[@asecretturning]

At least high school kids don't soil their own trousers.

[@frankd.506]

​@@asecretturning Nice Diaper Don reference.

[@gryph01]

​@@asecretturning And less likely to put their trousers on backwards.

[@RobinHerzig]

Maybe, but that's besides the point 😕

[@ViridianJane]

No one associated with this bill in any way shape or form should be allowed a moment of peace. They should be investigated, heavily. I really wished people realized that this is a kind of slavery.

[@ichigomomomiya2003]

This is horrifying! I'm commenting in hope that this video gets recommended to a lot of peoples. We need more people to know so we can fight this!

[@Tbone272]

How do we get lobbying by corporations out of politics? It's at the point where business have more rights than the people working for them

[@deeznoots6241]

The 2nd amendment guarantees access to a very useful tool

[@frankgrabasse4642]

Right, go shoot the lobbies. Great idea, but a couple problems. One is swat team and jail. The other, the brain worm infested far right has far more guns and is convinced by fox news that kids should work in mines so they don't turn gay.

[@EllenSalmon-o7x]

"Corporations are people" Thank you Citizens United...

[@juannaym8488]

​@@deeznoots6241that is given by corporations that are ready and willing to use child labor themselves

[@upstartkarma]

If we let children enter the workforce, we will end up with mandatory 2+ income households. Single parents will be forced to send their children to work in order to keep food on the table. Seeing as this is already an issue, I can't imagine the repercussions

[@AaaaNinja]

If they want to fill jobs they need to make better offers not target the most desperate WTF.

[@Dr_Won_Hung_Lo]

Parents, DO NOT allow your children to work for these GREEDY corporations!!! MAKE THEM PAY A FAIR WAGE!!!!!!

[@markmccormack1796]

This country never ceases to disappoint me by always sliding backwards. Progress in laws, society and politics are never steadfast. The forces of capitalism, greed and exploitation are always pulling us backwards; sometimes a century at a time, as in this case.

[@humanistwriting5477]

let's talk one very important statistic. 7% that's the current polling in favor of the outright banning abortions. (six weeks is an outright ban to be honest) this is because so very many people have been affected negatively by the abortion bans thus far. 7%. this number was in the 30's when the Supreme Court made its rulings. there will be steps backwards. but there is a progress that will always win, on a long enough time scale. and that end society. the end of progress politically had its heyday at one time, in Europe in Asia, in Africa, and in the America's. lose, federated, free association society's without national boarders always crop up, and always get to some degree brutalized by warlords (kings). And each time technology advances the amount of force the warlords are able to press on the free peoples dwindles. Empires had more power then kings who had more power then presidents. the trend is because of technology bleeding out to the masses. The lossely federated had iron vs empire's steel, the peasants had steel but less then the kings knights, the citizens had rifles that could snipe while the presidents had cannons. and today. now. the people have printers capable of making stealth drones almost silent drones without any real skill needed. and access to everything they need for devastating explosions. while the goverment has possibly. maybe. faster missiles. We saw it in Veitnam. We saw it in the middle east. We see it in Ukraine. We are to the point where dominion is not a guarantee. and soon. within a decade or two I believe based on my field of manufacturing dominion will be non-viable. we will be waiting for revolt or just. well simply ignoring the attempts.

[@WaterZer0]

There has never been "progress" of any kind in the US unless you mean the progression of weapons technology.

[@adrianghandtchi1562]

Historically, with the way generations, I have gone through some aspects. I have been pushing forward, and some aspects have been sliding back-and-forth for quite some time, especially with the culture of things.

[@tomthomas5793]

Members of the “pro-life” GOP are continuing their efforts to appease their corporate donors, who would rather exploit child labor than pay adult employees a living wage. Please share this video with everyone you know, and encourage them to VOTE for lawmakers who REALLY want to protect the children of this country.

[@robert2690]

@sised But there is a thing called exploitation

[@thelemon5069]

​@sised false

[@exosproudmamabear558]

@sised Communism doesnt work.Idealism is impossible, you gotta do next best thing ,like EU, a hybrid economy.

[@DaleonM4]

​@@sised8105that's outdated. Just stop the state from making laws that benefit the big companies. In other words mercantilism.

[@DaleonM4]

@@sised8105 u seem to have forgotten history class

[@anarchosherman961]

Politicians shouldn't be *allowed* to deny comments on what they're doing. You don't get the right to privacy working in public life while legislating people's rights. That's not something you get. If you don't want people to be angry, don't pass laws to make them angry.

[@nicksurfs1]

So each labor violation cost hyvee about 22k. If you look at that the most heartless way possible (as I’m sure they do) they still come out financially ahead. The value of that child’s labor is certainly more than 22k. What’s up with these BS fines that are insufficient to discourage the illegal acts!?

[@TheRunningLeopard]

As an Iowan who has been forced to take a poor paying part time job bc I literally spent half a year trying to find something that I could live off of, thank you so much for covering this! I would be homeless if it wasn’t for my family not charging me rent, and I was literally graduated cum laude.

[@ВадимВадимович-ь6т]

america needs Marxism-Leninism

[@Blueoriontiger]

Same thing is going on Tennesseee, They constantly make snide remarks of "You have skills but no experience!", but will hire the ditz who flunked high school to do the job. They'll then go "You ain't local!" when they really mean is "you don't look or speak like us." "HOO poor baby you broke? Go work diggin' ditches for TVA. SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH BOY THEY GOT JOB, DAMN YOUR COMPUTER DEGREE." That's the state for you.

[@Blueoriontiger]

@@AmoebaInk That's a legitimate problem, but that's no excuse for denying someone a job for that reason. Nor dating them, to be their friend or excluding them from events. I hate the phrase, it makes you feel like a total stranger. It's enough to not go socialize, or have friends that are "local" (most everyone I socialize with are online from different states/countries). I'm definitely never marrying to dating anyone that loves Tennessee or has "y'all" coming out of their mouth. From being called a terrorist past 9/11 to now this, the state can go in a trash can for all I care.

[@skurge8691]

@@Blueoriontiger Of course it is. The influx of people from big cities/immigration are absolutely destroying the local economy of small towns. Just in the last 5 years in my area rent prices went from an avg of 975-1200 to 1500-2000 a month. Small town of 30k 5 years ago now pushing 80k+ after everyone and their dog decided to move here for some reason. Now my town is dirty, too expensive and filled with homeless. Sucks man

[@nickthompson1812]

@@AmoebaInk when we’re talking about priced out of homes, you should be looking at the people who own multiple homes and the corporate landlords like Blackrock who bought tens of thousands of properties during covid. I’m anti-freedom, I don’t think people should be allowed to own multiple homes. Homes are used as investment tools nowadays rather than domiciles. Edit: they own multiple houses. Only one place can truly be home, eh?

[@Treyast]

I worked at a Taco Bell where there were giant fry-vats in the middle of the kitchen. You were supposed to put on a splatter vest, eye-goggles, thick rubber gloves, and wear slip-resistant shoes. Since we were nearly always short-staffed, we had to jump from job to job constantly and rarely had time to don the required gear. I wouldn't be suprised if one of those kids ends up with horrific grease burns one day, and the company will say it was their fault for not wearing the safety gear even though they get reprimanded for moving too slow if they take the time to put the PPE on.

[@3namechangezalowdevry90day7]

System works the same at your nearest HOSPITAL. But with a biohazard/ isolation room instead of a fry vat.

[@GhostOnTheHalfShell]

Every parent, every pastor, every small business person who cares about their family and community better wake up. Either we stand up and end this billionaire barbarism or they will end us.

[@agarlicsorbet6482]

Give up on pastors lol

[@tomizatko3138]

@DragoonTokyo excuses for the rich and powerful and lies are the only thing i hear from you.

[@danbeaulieu2130]

@DragoonTokyo Ah the doctrine of "original sin" The biggest lie since "the cheque is in the mail", and "they hate us for our freedom".

[@kamikeserpentail3778]

You gotta realize the church in general, is deeply in bed with these people. That's why the conservative platform is so very fucking religious to the point of spawning "Christian Nationalists" And why a bunch of crazy televangelist churches openly, zealously, support the conservative party. Every time I see a Christian church, with its big cross on top, I see a sword planted into the ground. "No matter the blood we must spill, we claim this" is what I see.

[@nononope75]

@DragoonTokyo Speak for yourself

[@iGotBulletproof-Insomnia]

It's so frustrating that corproations used to be afraid of the law, and now they're making and changing them.

[@phillipyangmusic]

this channel needs to reach everyone!

[@kimberlyvasconez1907]

And the REPUBS argue that illegals are taking their jobs…. This is incredibly disgusting…and Sandra Huckabee bragging about dropping age to begin work just made me sick.

[@kamikeserpentail3778]

They're all just a bunch of hypocrite assholes. But sadly almost half of the country seems to back them.

[@arsenyshiman3080]

“Alright so kids are enjoying their time and staying up until 10 pm, why don’t we make them take their time for personal growth and turn it into growth for the companies “

[@KASH10043]

This should play during prime time on every TV channel as a public service announcement. I'm guessing that most of America has no idea of what's going on here and just who is funding these child labor roll backs. It's disgusting.

[@CRneu]

In some of those states public opinion polling shows that nearly 50% of citizens, in those states, approve of this.

[@ConsecDesign]

damn. after a hard day at the factory, those kids are gonna be really tired at school. they wont be able to learn from the 3 heavily redacted books their teacher has left to teach from, before they are promptly shot by a disgruntled student/coworker. there is a full on, literal war on children here, and no one is even trying to help them.

[@chrisivan_yt]

they also don’t protect them at schools. they love fighting for all other sorts of rights tho just not ones for their kids 🇺🇸

[@dianemitchell1717]

And as soon as they can the military lures 18 year olds to join up and sends them overseas to get blown up. So much for the prolife Maga gop.

[@joes2359]

Stupid children are compliant children. Who will hand me their vote when theyre older without asking questions. So i can push more policy that protects my job and my legacy

[@jessip8654]

Yeah but who cares if the kids are overworked, undereducated, and traumatized from watching a school shooter blow away their best friend? As long as they aren't gay, right?

[@disturbeddoge5003]

Wow making stuff up

[@Pistolita221]

Ah yes, the labor market of the 1930's, what could POSSIBLY go wrong trying to recreate that?

[@acceptablecasualty5319]

@tjuyftutjyfudt Such renowned progressives, such as *flips page* Otto von Bismarck

[@acceptablecasualty5319]

@tjuyftutjyfudt I don't actually know much about Roosevelt's reforms, i just know he was generally considered to be a man of the people and an absolute chad to boot. Bismarck's the nominally first implementor of most forms of Social Security, believe it or not.

[@themadman5615]

I once read somewhere that the morals and strength of a nation can be directly represented by how it treats the children of said nation. And with the way the US has consistently treated the new generations, and with these new laws that are looking to be passed. The US ain't looking so moral or strong anymore, though that's not to say it was ever moral to begin with.

[@britt3668]

They don't even know what that word means

[@themadman5615]

The working class knows all to well what it means to be moral, it's our elected "representatives" that fail to understand.

[@Theeoldmann]

Child labor & enslaved child labor never left no matter the law. Glad it's getting the press attention of how screwed up it is.

[@tacobell1299]

"Let's make laws to keep children safe by banning books and drag!" "...Child labor laws! That's it! That will protect the kids!"

[@MushookieMan]

Those are moral panics designed specifically to distract the lower class. And they eat it up. Because they watch the billionaire owned media.

[@alventuradelacruz522]

Drag is not for children too

[@xxxCrackerJack501xxx]

The thing is though children shouldn't be around sexual content like that nor be forced to work in mines.

[@voice_0f_reason]

I thought drag was just a fashion show?

[@annadomeyer9114]

@@voice_0f_reason Yeah but anything to do with gay people is of course inherently sexual /s

[@LivingDead53]

If only they could agree to compromise. When I was in HS, half the kids had jobs or more than one already. They would sleep during class at 16. I was in a weird state of mind, 'there are peanuts in the sky." I've been exploited several times. Once they figure out that you need that job, you simply enter Hell. We had an event in our family that caused it to get even worse. I joined a "work program" in High School and was allowed to work and go to the community college. I had to prove I was there. I was doubling already. Now those same corporations are trying to kill us over pensions. I have so many health problems from stress and other things. What do they think is going to happen? All these kids in plants are going to get sick or hurt on the factory farm then killed by the corporations. I wouldn't put any low act past them.

[@dedcoyt3437]

That's what happened in American history. Is sad because of a certain scum that cut down government founds and made it possible for corporations to be considered the people and been involved in politics.

[@beccyvc5743]

Guess whose kids will need to take the jobs to support their family? Pobably those of parents working minimum wage. Then they miss out on education and stay in low wage jobs. It's just a sceme to keep the poor poor.

[@00TheD]

They don't need that, there are enough pit falls without that

[@pmstff700]

or they learn a skill or trade or business or a reason to stay in school!

[@NoPrivateProperty]

stop reproducing. without children, you are free to wage class war. all the way

[@cosmicllama6910]

@@pmstff700 you're clueless

[@NIgHTMaReFortyTwo]

@@pmstff700 Yeah, working in Mcdonalds for an insultingly tiny pittance is sure to teach them a skill or a trade

[@blankface_]

Doesn’t Iowa already have one of the lowest unemployment rates of any state? Whatever makes them more money from workers less likely to know their rights, I guess

[@RobinHerzig]

love to know who in congress is working on fixing these egregious cases of unconscionable child labor exploitation… I assume the NLRB is investigating, fining and/or shutting down, right 👀

[@NIgHTMaReFortyTwo]

Not really their job, though? They deal with employers who break labour laws. This is literally your government changing the rules. Its the NLRBs job to enforce those rules.

[@cavemanrob]

I was put to work at 13 and handed over every paycheck to my parents. I did not finish high school, though I have a GED and a semester at community college for whatever that is worth (ahem). I would NEVER put any of my children or grandchildren in the same situation. My options in life are very limited, at this point. This is not the future we need for our progeny.

[@honkhonk8009]

Yep. I understand getting your kids used to the trades, but this is the most braindead way to do it. We should have the government pay for training and such through community colleges, and we should have social programs to help connect people with apprenticeships. The problem with Democrats and Republicans, is that people are too afraid to vote for the "other side". If Iowan voters voted Democrat in response to this shit, Republicans would think twice before pulling this stupid shit. If Californians voted Republican a few times, Democrats would think twice before nuking the state again.

[@andresvelazquez5922]

I find it so sad that our grandparents that fought for the rights of today are not here anymore to fight for the rights of tomorrow.

[@Goawaypleasenow]

They shouldn’t have to. We 😊should

[@fyi1985]

That's a good question, considering it's our grandparents in congress now, making these calls. You might want to add a great or 2 to grandparents.

[@unkono]

Why do you think people aren't having kids?

[@frankcastle5737]

Imagine being in management and someone asks how to save money to which one person says we'll use the kids! And a group of adults back this idea. Seems barbaric and a waste of education, I know.

[@rjung_ch]

Feels like going back in time is the wrong direction. Guess when the empire crumbles, this is one of the signs.

[@cryptbeast3222]

The post WW2 boom has fully ended. We are speed running back to the gilded age in full.

[@morkallearns781]

But the world brain republicans will claim it’s because of drag bingo and lgbtq folks not being persecuted.