Child labor violations are on the rise across the country. Yet Republicans in multiple states are working to roll back regulations for underaged workers, including lowering age limits, removing restrictions for dangerous work and extending allowable work hours, including on school nights. Critics say the new laws endanger children, depress wages and make it harder for regulatory officials to catch bad actors. California may have stronger regulations by comparison, but we’ll explore the limits of the state’s oversight and the conditions that push so many children into the workforce.
Loosening Child Labor Laws Put Kids At Risk Say Critics
On a farm near the town of Mettler, a Hispanic boy kneels down to cut leaves off the onions that he has gathered into a discarded pesticide can, California, July 1976.
Guests:
Jacob Bogage, business and technology reporter, The Washington Post
Hernan Hernandez, executive director, The California Farmworker Foundation
Elizabeth Strater, director of strategic campaigns, United Farm Workers
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