Child labor hasn’t gone away. Instead, it’s taking the graveyard shift.
In early May, Department of Labor inspectors found two 10-year olds working past midnight in a McDonald’s in Louisville, Kentucky. The same investigation found more than 300 underage workers employed illegally by McDonald’s franchise operators across the state.
State legislatures have responded with horror — horror that the law prohibits child labor. Arkansas rolled back key child labor protections earlier this year. Not to be outdone, Iowa’s Republican Governor Kim Reynolds recently announced she’ll sign a bill that greenlights employing 14-year-olds in roofing, construction and other dangerous work. On the federal level, in sharp contrast, the Biden administration has begun a crack-down on child labor violations.
