Can Mediation Break the Contract Negotiation Deadlock for AA Flight Attendants?

Can Mediation Break the Contract Negotiation Deadlock for AA Flight Attendants?

Can Mediation Break the Contract Negotiation Deadlock for AA Flight Attendants?

IAM141.org

On March 3rd, American Airlines’ flight attendants union and company managers requested mediation from the National Mediation Board, hoping to resolve an ongoing contract negotiation standoff. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants has been negotiating a new contract since December 2019.

Julie Hedrick, president of the National Association of Professional Flight Attendants, said the union was eager to come to a resolution.

“We are entering a critical period in our bargaining of a new contract,” Hedrick said. “We have had productive discussions at the bargaining table…and are prepared to work with the National Mediation Board to bring these negotiations to a close and secure a contract with much needed improvements for 25,000 American Airlines Flight Attendants.”
The APFA’s national communications chair, Paul Hartshorn, Jr., said they want to secure better pay and work-life balance for the union’s members.

He said that flight attendants are back to flying the same hours as before COVID but with a reduced workforce.

“Staffing was reduced, flight attendants are working more flights per day, working longer hours per day,” Hartshorn said.

In the last quarter, American Airlines reported a net income of $127 million. For the full year, its 2022 net income was $803 million.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants includes more than 23,000 members at American.

Paul Hartshorn, Jr., the APFA’s national communications chair, explained that flight attendants are working more flights and longer hours per day due to reduced staffing and are seeking better pay and work-life balance.

On average, union contracts in the airline industry can take several years to negotiate. Factors such as industry conditions, economic stability, and collective bargaining agreements can impact the length of negotiations.

The negotiation process can involve multiple rounds of proposals and counterproposals. It may also involve the assistance of a federal mediator, as is the case with American and Southwest’s flight attendant unions.

The behavior of executives at American Airlines is the latest of many such examples of management taking a high-handed stance against their workers.

Over the past year, airline industry workers, including cabin crew, pilots, ground handlers, and air traffic controllers, have faced increasingly contentious and deliberately provocative company executives.

Recently, pilots at FedEx have begun openly discussing the possibility of a strike action at the shipping company.

On February 17th, the leaders of the pilot’s union at FedEx unanimously passed a resolution that authorizes Captain Chris Norman, the FedEx ALPA Chair, to call for a vote on whether to authorize a strike. This decision has received support from ALPA President Captain Jason Ambrosi.

Before a strike can happen, the National Mediation Board (NMB) would need to release both parties from mediation. Following this, a 30-day cooling-off period would need to take place, after which both parties would be free to exercise self-help, which may include a strike by the union or a lockout by the company.

FedEx pilots have been trying to reason with company executives since May 2021, to no avail.

The Southwest Airlines flight attendants union, TWU Local 556, also requested a federal mediator this past summer. Southwest’s pilots have threatened to vote to strike in May while American Airlines is still negotiating with its pilots’ union.

Seven separate workgroups at United Airlines, including pilots, gate and ground agents, trainers, load planners, and security guards, have also seen contract talks stall over management refusals to match new industry standards for pay, job security, and other benefits that have become normal for airline work.

The Machinists Union is part of a coalition of unions at United Airlines, including the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, Air Line Pilots Association, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

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Hurricane Idalia: Emergency Resources

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Stay up to date with all the latest news and information from the Machinists Union

Can Mediation Break the Contract Negotiation Deadlock for AA Flight Attendants?

March 15, 2023

On March 3rd, American Airlines’ flight attendants union and company managers requested mediation from the National Mediation Board, hoping to resolve an ongoing contract negotiation standoff. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants has been negotiating a new contract since December 2019.

Julie Hedrick, president of the National Association of Professional Flight Attendants, said the union was eager to come to a resolution.

“We are entering a critical period in our bargaining of a new contract,” Hedrick said. “We have had productive discussions at the bargaining table…and are prepared to work with the National Mediation Board to bring these negotiations to a close and secure a contract with much needed improvements for 25,000 American Airlines Flight Attendants.”
The APFA’s national communications chair, Paul Hartshorn, Jr., said they want to secure better pay and work-life balance for the union’s members.

He said that flight attendants are back to flying the same hours as before COVID but with a reduced workforce.

“Staffing was reduced, flight attendants are working more flights per day, working longer hours per day,” Hartshorn said.

In the last quarter, American Airlines reported a net income of $127 million. For the full year, its 2022 net income was $803 million.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants includes more than 23,000 members at American.

Paul Hartshorn, Jr., the APFA’s national communications chair, explained that flight attendants are working more flights and longer hours per day due to reduced staffing and are seeking better pay and work-life balance.

On average, union contracts in the airline industry can take several years to negotiate. Factors such as industry conditions, economic stability, and collective bargaining agreements can impact the length of negotiations.

The negotiation process can involve multiple rounds of proposals and counterproposals. It may also involve the assistance of a federal mediator, as is the case with American and Southwest’s flight attendant unions.

The behavior of executives at American Airlines is the latest of many such examples of management taking a high-handed stance against their workers.

Over the past year, airline industry workers, including cabin crew, pilots, ground handlers, and air traffic controllers, have faced increasingly contentious and deliberately provocative company executives.

Recently, pilots at FedEx have begun openly discussing the possibility of a strike action at the shipping company.

On February 17th, the leaders of the pilot’s union at FedEx unanimously passed a resolution that authorizes Captain Chris Norman, the FedEx ALPA Chair, to call for a vote on whether to authorize a strike. This decision has received support from ALPA President Captain Jason Ambrosi.

Before a strike can happen, the National Mediation Board (NMB) would need to release both parties from mediation. Following this, a 30-day cooling-off period would need to take place, after which both parties would be free to exercise self-help, which may include a strike by the union or a lockout by the company.

FedEx pilots have been trying to reason with company executives since May 2021, to no avail.

The Southwest Airlines flight attendants union, TWU Local 556, also requested a federal mediator this past summer. Southwest’s pilots have threatened to vote to strike in May while American Airlines is still negotiating with its pilots’ union.

Seven separate workgroups at United Airlines, including pilots, gate and ground agents, trainers, load planners, and security guards, have also seen contract talks stall over management refusals to match new industry standards for pay, job security, and other benefits that have become normal for airline work.

The Machinists Union is part of a coalition of unions at United Airlines, including the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, Air Line Pilots Association, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

 

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Hurricane Idalia: Emergency Resources

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Justice Department Expected to Block JetBlue / Spirit Merger

Justice Department Expected to Block JetBlue / Spirit Merger

DOJ Expected to Block JetBlue / Sprit Merger

IAM141.org

According to two anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the Justice Department plans to file a lawsuit as early as Tuesday to prevent JetBlue’s proposed $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines. The lawsuit alleges that the acquisition would remove an essential low-cost carrier, further consolidating the industry and increasing prices, potentially resulting in antitrust concerns. If the DOJ ultimately decides to block the merger, it will be the second antitrust action JetBlue faces. 

As reported by Bloomberg, the Biden administration’s recent efforts to enforce antitrust regulations in the airline industry have led to the likely lawsuit against JetBlue’s proposed acquisition of Spirit Airlines. 

A spokesperson for JetBlue confirmed that the airline is bracing for a lawsuit, which it expects “this week.” Spirit and the Department of Justice did not issue public statements.

According to Bloomberg, a lawsuit from the Department of Justice could foil the merger between the two carriers for over a year. However, if the JetBlue / Spirit merger gets approval from Federal Regulators, it will create the fifth-largest carrier behind American, United, Delta, and Southwest. 

The Justice Department has taken a dim view of the argument from JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes that a merger between his airline and Spirit would create lower prices for air travelers. In public statements, Hayes predicted that a post-merger Spirit would adopt JetBlue boarding policies, which use fewer seats. Hayes explained that removing seating capacity from the market would lower prices since fewer seats for sale would mean faster boarding times and more flights overall. 

The Department of Justice has studied the effect a JetBlue / Spirit merger will likely have on airfares. If the Department moves to block the merger, it will signal that Federal Regulators have come to the opposite conclusion. 

In response to concerns expressed by the Department of Justice, JetBlue has proposed a plan to sell Spirit’s assets in their entirety at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and Boston Logan International Airport in Massachusetts, and five slots at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. Jetblue is not offering to divest itself of assets related to its “Northeast Partnership” with American Airlines. That deal has been called a “de facto merger” by the Justice Department. 

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Stay up to date with all the latest news and information from the Machinists Union

DOJ Expected to Block JetBlue / Spirit Merger

March 6, 2023

According to two anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the Justice Department plans to file a lawsuit as early as Tuesday to prevent JetBlue’s proposed $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines. The lawsuit alleges that the acquisition would remove an essential low-cost carrier, further consolidating the industry and increasing prices, potentially resulting in antitrust concerns. If the DOJ ultimately decides to block the merger, it will be the second antitrust action JetBlue faces. 

As reported by Bloomberg, the Biden administration’s recent efforts to enforce antitrust regulations in the airline industry have led to the likely lawsuit against JetBlue’s proposed acquisition of Spirit Airlines. 

A spokesperson for JetBlue confirmed that the airline is bracing for a lawsuit, which it expects “this week.” Spirit and the Department of Justice did not issue public statements.

According to Bloomberg, a lawsuit from the Department of Justice could foil the merger between the two carriers for over a year. However, if the JetBlue / Spirit merger gets approval from Federal Regulators, it will create the fifth-largest carrier behind American, United, Delta, and Southwest. 

The Justice Department has taken a dim view of the argument from JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes that a merger between his airline and Spirit would create lower prices for air travelers. In public statements, Hayes predicted that a post-merger Spirit would adopt JetBlue boarding policies, which use fewer seats. Hayes explained that removing seating capacity from the market would lower prices since fewer seats for sale would mean faster boarding times and more flights overall. 

The Department of Justice has studied the effect a JetBlue / Spirit merger will likely have on airfares. If the Department moves to block the merger, it will signal that Federal Regulators have come to the opposite conclusion. 

In response to concerns expressed by the Department of Justice, JetBlue has proposed a plan to sell Spirit’s assets in their entirety at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and Boston Logan International Airport in Massachusetts, and five slots at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. Jetblue is not offering to divest itself of assets related to its “Northeast Partnership” with American Airlines. That deal has been called a “de facto merger” by the Justice Department. 

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Helping Hands March: Finding Help

Helping Hands March: Finding Help

Helping Hands March: Finding Help

Peer EAP volunteers:

 
     This month Helping Hands features the “find treatment.gov” part of the SAMSHA.gov (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency) web pages. There are a lot of hyperlinks in the electronic version of Helping Hands. I encourage you to explore the hyperlinks so you know what is available within this resource. There are a lot of great links to help find treatment and help vet treatment resources. The second page highlights informed questions to ask when considering treatment and questions to explore with a treatment resource you are considering.
 

    Thank you for helping your co-workers and anyone who is in need of your services. It is important work you are all doing! 

Bryan,

Bryan Hutchinson, M.S.

Bryan Hutchinson, M.S.
EAP Director
bhutchinson@iam141.org
Cell: 303-229-5117

Scholarship Contest is Now Underway!

Scholarship Contest is Now Underway!

The Scholarship Contest is Underway!

IAM141.org

Calling all high school seniors and college and trade school students! Prepare to prove your worth in the arena of the written word by taking part in the 2023 essay competition. This year’s theme is “The rise of public approval of labor unions in the United States.”

In a mere 700 to 1000 words, you can champion the cause of the working class and earn a wealth of funds for your future education. Prizes will be awarded to six exceptional participants, starting at $1,000. The ultimate victor will receive a grand prize of $2,000.

The Essay Competition launched on March 1, 2023, and ends at midnight on July 15, 2023. Winners will be announced on or around August. 1, 2023. Judging will be done by an impartial Scholarship Committee that is not a member of District Lodge 141. Essays must be submitted via email.

Furthermore, the winners of the essay competition will be honored by District 141 of the Machinists and Aerospace Union, where they will be recognized for their exceptional writing skills and commitment to social justice. Additionally, the top entries will be included in our District Journal, which records key events within our District for future generations to see.

So sharpen your quills and unleash your creativity! Submit your entries by the deadline of midnight, July 15, 2023, and join the ranks of the finest writers in District 141. May the odds be ever in your favor!

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Stay up to date with all the latest news and information from the Machinists Union

Thousands of Dollars in Scholarship Money Will Be Awarded

February 27, 2023

Calling all high school seniors and college and trade school students! Prepare to prove your worth in the arena of the written word by taking part in the 2023 essay competition. This year’s theme is “The rise of public approval of labor unions in the United States.”

In a mere 700 to 1000 words, you can champion the cause of the working class and earn a wealth of funds for your future education. Prizes will be awarded to six exceptional participants, starting at $1,000. The ultimate victor will receive a grand prize of $2,000.

The Essay Competition shall commence on March 1, 2023, and end at midnight on July 15, 2023. Winners will be announced on or around August. 1, 2023. Judging will be done by an impartial Scholarship Committee that is not a member of District Lodge 141.

Furthermore, the winners of the essay competition will be honored by District 141 of the Machinists and Aerospace Union, where they will be recognized for their exceptional writing skills and commitment to social justice. Additionally, the top entries will be included in our District Journal, which records key events within our District for future generations to see.

So sharpen your quills and unleash your creativity! Submit your entries by the deadline of midnight, July 15, 2023, and join the ranks of the finest writers in District 141. May the odds be ever in your favor!

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Iowa Lawmakers Seek to Bring Child Labor Back to the US

Iowa Lawmakers Seek to Bring Child Labor Back to the US

Iowa Lawmakers Seek to Bring Child Labor Back to the US

IAM141.org

In February, labor advocates expressed their opposition to a proposed bill in Iowa that state lawmakers have introduced with support from businesses. The bill aims to relax child labor laws, allowing teenagers as young as 14 to work in jobs currently considered unsafe for children, such as mining, logging, and slaughterhouses. The proposal will also allow young teens to work in adult nightclubs serving alcohol and would allow companies to keep them on the clock until 9:00 on school nights. One union president deemed the proposal dangerous and characterized it as “just crazy.” 

Horrifyingly, if a teenager is injured or dies while working under a “work-based learning program,” the business involved would be shielded from legal action brought by parents, even if the harm resulted directly from the employer’s negligence.

The proposed bill, Senate File 167, introduced by Senator Jason Schultz (R-Schleswig) in January, would expand the types of work available to 14 and 15-year-olds in the state. The legislation would allow teenagers as young as 14 to work jobs currently off-limits for safety reasons. The new rules would avoid many legal restrictions by recategorizing some child labor as “Work-Based Learning Programs” tied to a child’s regular school curriculum. 

Most worryingly, the bill also shields businesses from lawsuits from parents if their children are hurt or killed on the job. Under Iowa law, young teenagers can sometimes be exempted from specific safety provisions, including those related to hazardous work, if they participate in a work-based learning program. 

However, according to the Des Moines Register, the proposed legislation includes “an entirely new section” which would grant authority to the heads of the Iowa Workforce Development and the state Department of Education to make exceptions for teenagers aged 14-17 who are “participating in work-based learning or a school or employer-administered, work-related program.”

However, if an exception is granted, the teenagers would lose their worker compensation rights, leaving them solely responsible for any incidents that may occur while working. Employers are protected from lawsuits even if they are determined to be accountable for the injury due to negligence and even if the injured or killed child did nothing wrong.

In other words, Iowa employers can skirt child labor laws by expanding existing student-worker programs with help from complacent school districts. The new law will allow these programs to expand to cover jobs such as working in meatpacking plants, freezers, mechanical detasseling, and working with industrial loading equipment. 

However, these programs often strip the students of workers’ compensation rights. So, if a student employed under such a program is hurt, disabled, or killed, the business cannot face civil penalties. 

The bill states, “A business that accepts a secondary student in a work-based learning program shall not be subject to civil liability for any claim for bodily injury to the student or sickness or death by accident of the student arising from the business’s negligent act or omission during the student’s participation in the work-based learning program at the business or work site.” (Emphasis added.)

The bill was first introduced to the Iowa Legislature on January 30. An Iowa State Senate Subcommittee advanced and recommended passage of the bill on February 9, but it has yet to get final approval from Senators. 

Generally, individuals under 18 would still be prohibited from working in specific fields, such as deep mining, logging, demolition, and slaughtering animals. 

However, a business that requests and gets a waiver under a “Work-Based Learning” program could require children to perform almost any type of work.

The bill is being proposed to address an ongoing labor shortage in Iowa. It has gained the support of area businesses looking to increase staffing without paying more wages.

In the words of Charlie Wishman, the president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, quoted in the Des Moines Register, the proposed bill is “just crazy” and represents an ill-advised attempt by businesses to address Iowa’s need for more workers. He expressed concern that even with the label of a “work-based learning program,” young workers are still at risk of serious injury, stating, “A kid can still lose an arm in a work-based learning program.”

In a separate interview with Newsweek, Wishman addressed supporters of the bill, who argue that kids need work experiences more than childhood experiences, saying, “For us, this bill overall undermines the basic recognition that child labor should be limited and safe. Let kids be kids—there are plenty of job opportunities right now for kids to gain experience and learn responsibility without putting them in danger or compromising their academic success.”

As for the argument that paying more wages to attract more workers is bad business, he said, “Here are answers to this state’s workforce problems, and it’s not hiring children to do adult jobs. It’s better pay, benefits, and working conditions for adults that can make Iowa an attractive place to live and work.”

It will also ease the requirements for children to obtain driver’s licenses to allow them to drive themselves to their new jobs and expand the hours children can be required to come to work and how late they can be made to remain on the job. The new rules could force children to drive to and from work as late as 11:00 at night. 

In response to concerns that inexperienced kids on the roads might create a hazard, the legislation also prohibits lawsuits against employers when children experience car crashes on the way to and from work.

Supporters of the bill say that child labor laws are ineffective anyway, and ending them can mean more money for businesses. Speaking for the Iowa Restaurant Association, Jessica Dunker told the political outlet Iowa Starting Line that adult nightclubs and bars needed children to work much later than current law allows. The new bill would enable establishments to keep kids on their shifts until 9:00 p.m. on school nights to serve alcohol to customers during peak hours. Dunker said that the restaurants in her association largely ignore child labor laws already, saying, “Nine o’clock? I’m sure they’re doing something already,” she said of requiring 14-year-old children to stay at work on school nights.

Data front the US Department of Labor backs up her assessment that many Iowa businesses illegally use child labor.

In 2022, the DOL sought charges involving more than 3,000 children who were victims of workplace exploitation, prompting nearly $3.4 million in fines. 

Investigations were also launched where young teens were killed on the job. Among them is the tragic case of a 16-year-old killed on a hotel construction site after falling about 11 stories after trying to jump from a roof onto a powered lift. 

 U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation into the incident found the teenager’s employer, Stover and Sons Contractors Inc. – a Madison construction contractor – violated two hazardous occupation orders of the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The orders ban employers from allowing minors under 18 to perform roofing activities or to operate or ride on a power-driven hoisting apparatus. Further investigation determined the employer also violated child labor laws when it allowed the boy to work more than 8 hours a day and more than 40 hours per week when he was 15.

The Iowa law would legalize child labor on construction sites.

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Hurricane Idalia: Emergency Resources

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Stay up to date with all the latest news and information from the Machinists Union

Iowa Lawmakers Seek to Bring Child Labor Back to the US

February 23, 2023

In February, labor advocates expressed their opposition to a proposed bill in Iowa that state lawmakers have introduced with support from businesses. The bill aims to relax child labor laws, allowing teenagers as young as 14 to work in jobs currently considered unsafe for children, such as mining, logging, and slaughterhouses. The proposal will also allow young teens to work in adult nightclubs serving alcohol and would allow companies to keep them on the clock until 9:00 on school nights. One union president deemed the proposal dangerous and characterized it as “just crazy.” 

Horrifyingly, if a teenager is injured or dies while working under a “work-based learning program,” the business involved would be shielded from legal action brought by parents, even if the harm resulted directly from the employer’s negligence.

The proposed bill, Senate File 167, introduced by Senator Jason Schultz (R-Schleswig) in January, would expand the types of work available to 14 and 15-year-olds in the state. The legislation would allow teenagers as young as 14 to work jobs currently off-limits for safety reasons. The new rules would avoid many legal restrictions by recategorizing some child labor as “Work-Based Learning Programs” tied to a child’s regular school curriculum. 

Most worryingly, the bill also shields businesses from lawsuits from parents if their children are hurt or killed on the job. Under Iowa law, young teenagers can sometimes be exempted from specific safety provisions, including those related to hazardous work, if they participate in a work-based learning program. 

However, according to the Des Moines Register, the proposed legislation includes “an entirely new section” which would grant authority to the heads of the Iowa Workforce Development and the state Department of Education to make exceptions for teenagers aged 14-17 who are “participating in work-based learning or a school or employer-administered, work-related program.”

However, if an exception is granted, the teenagers would lose their worker compensation rights, leaving them solely responsible for any incidents that may occur while working. Employers are protected from lawsuits even if they are determined to be accountable for the injury due to negligence and even if the injured or killed child did nothing wrong.

In other words, Iowa employers can skirt child labor laws by expanding existing student-worker programs with help from complacent school districts. The new law will allow these programs to expand to cover jobs such as working in meatpacking plants, freezers, mechanical detasseling, and working with industrial loading equipment. 

However, these programs often strip the students of workers’ compensation rights. So, if a student employed under such a program is hurt, disabled, or killed, the business cannot face civil penalties. 

The bill states, “A business that accepts a secondary student in a work-based learning program shall not be subject to civil liability for any claim for bodily injury to the student or sickness or death by accident of the student arising from the business’s negligent act or omission during the student’s participation in the work-based learning program at the business or work site.” (Emphasis added.)

The bill was first introduced to the Iowa Legislature on January 30. An Iowa State Senate Subcommittee advanced and recommended passage of the bill on February 9, but it has yet to get final approval from Senators. 

Generally, individuals under 18 would still be prohibited from working in specific fields, such as deep mining, logging, demolition, and slaughtering animals. 

However, a business that requests and gets a waiver under a “Work-Based Learning” program could require children to perform almost any type of work.

The bill is being proposed to address an ongoing labor shortage in Iowa. It has gained the support of area businesses looking to increase staffing without paying more wages.

In the words of Charlie Wishman, the president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, quoted in the Des Moines Register, the proposed bill is “just crazy” and represents an ill-advised attempt by businesses to address Iowa’s need for more workers. He expressed concern that even with the label of a “work-based learning program,” young workers are still at risk of serious injury, stating, “A kid can still lose an arm in a work-based learning program.”

In a separate interview with Newsweek, Wishman addressed supporters of the bill, who argue that kids need work experiences more than childhood experiences, saying, “For us, this bill overall undermines the basic recognition that child labor should be limited and safe. Let kids be kids—there are plenty of job opportunities right now for kids to gain experience and learn responsibility without putting them in danger or compromising their academic success.”

As for the argument that paying more wages to attract more workers is bad business, he said, “Here are answers to this state’s workforce problems, and it’s not hiring children to do adult jobs. It’s better pay, benefits, and working conditions for adults that can make Iowa an attractive place to live and work.”

It will also ease the requirements for children to obtain driver’s licenses to allow them to drive themselves to their new jobs and expand the hours children can be required to come to work and how late they can be made to remain on the job. The new rules could force children to drive to and from work as late as 11:00 at night. 

In response to concerns that inexperienced kids on the roads might create a hazard, the legislation also prohibits lawsuits against employers when children experience car crashes on the way to and from work.

Supporters of the bill say that child labor laws are ineffective anyway, and ending them can mean more money for businesses. Speaking for the Iowa Restaurant Association, Jessica Dunker told the political outlet Iowa Starting Line that adult nightclubs and bars needed children to work much later than current law allows. The new bill would enable establishments to keep kids on their shifts until 9:00 p.m. on school nights to serve alcohol to customers during peak hours. Dunker said that the restaurants in her association largely ignore child labor laws already, saying, “Nine o’clock? I’m sure they’re doing something already,” she said of requiring 14-year-old children to stay at work on school nights.

Data front the US Department of Labor backs up her assessment that many Iowa businesses illegally use child labor.

In 2022, the DOL sought charges involving more than 3,000 children who were victims of workplace exploitation, prompting nearly $3.4 million in fines. 

Investigations were also launched where young teens were killed on the job. Among them is the tragic case of a 16-year-old killed on a hotel construction site after falling about 11 stories after trying to jump from a roof onto a powered lift. 

 U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation into the incident found the teenager’s employer, Stover and Sons Contractors Inc. – a Madison construction contractor – violated two hazardous occupation orders of the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The orders ban employers from allowing minors under 18 to perform roofing activities or to operate or ride on a power-driven hoisting apparatus. Further investigation determined the employer also violated child labor laws when it allowed the boy to work more than 8 hours a day and more than 40 hours per week when he was 15.

The Iowa law would legalize child labor on construction sites.

Related

Hurricane Idalia: Emergency Resources

Hurricane Idalia: Emergency Resources

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