An annual rite of summer is seeing Philadelphia and suburban teens flock to the Jersey Shore to earn cash working at boardwalk shops and restaurants. The work can be hard and the hours long, but not as long as they are going to be with the New Jersey Legislature on the verge of allowing businesses to ask older teen employees to work 50-hour shifts. If passed, the bill will also make it harder for parents to object.
The General Assembly has passed the legislation, so it’s up to the state Senate to take the side of children instead of catering to businesses trying to overcome staffing problems linked to the pandemic. Summer may be their make-or-break period, but they shouldn’t be allowed to treat children like laborers in a Victorian workhouse.
The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Roy Freiman, D-Somerset, and Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, would hike the number of hours that 16- and 17-year-olds can work during summer from 40 to 50 hours a week. Their shifts could last up to 10 hours. Shifts for children 14 to 15 years old would increase from five hours to six, with a 30-minute break for a meal.
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