Should Teens be Allowed to do Hazardous Jobs? Work Longer Hours?

What’s the story?

• According to a report in Bloomberg Law, the Trump administration is planning to relax youth labor protections, including those that protect teens from working longer hours and in hazardous workplace conditions.

“The DOL will propose relaxing current rules – known as Hazardous Occupations Orders (HOs) – that prohibit 16- and 17-year-old apprentices and student learners from receiving extended, supervised training in certain dangerous jobs,” two sources told Bloomberg.

• The sources’ information was corroborated by a summary of a draft regulation obtained by Bloomberg Law.

Why the proposed change?

In the summary of the draft regulation, the DOL writes:

“The Department proposes to safely launch more family-sustaining careers by removing current regulatory restrictions on the amount of time that apprentices and student learners may perform HO-governed work.”

What are people saying about the proposed change?

• Michael Hancock, a former Assistant Administrator at the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division, told Bloomberg Law: “When you find 16-year-olds running a meat slicer or a mini grinder or a trash compactor, we know kids are severely injured in those circumstances. That’s why the laws exist in the first place."

“Now we’re saying, ‘We’re going to open those hazards up to kids; we hope that the employer is going to follow the law to a T and make sure the kid is being closely supervised.’ I think that stretches credulity to think that’s how it’s actually going to work,” Hancock added.

• But as Bloomberg Law explained, the proposed change is likely to have “at least some bipartisan support from Democrats eager to create job opportunities for youth who aren’t on track to attend a four-year university.”
• During a recent Senate hearing, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) asked Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta if he’d consider lifting hour restrictions on youth under 18.

 “We certainly are looking into it. We’re also looking into whether it makes sense to create exemptions if they’re using the equipment as part of some training program, some educational program, an apprenticeship program, on the theory that we’d rather that they learn to use equipment the right way when they’re 17 than use it for the first time when they’re 18.”

What do YOU have to say?

Should teens be able to work longer hours and/or in hazardous work conditions? Will it help “create job opportunities for youth who aren’t on track to attend a four-year university”? Hit Take Action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: Floriana / iStock)