As many companies know, child labor violations can be very messy. But one state is taking steps to relax some of the stricter rules.
The Labor and Industry Committee in Pennsylvania held a hearing this week regarding a bill that has been proposed to rewrite Pennsylvania’s child labor laws. The House legislation proposes to bring the state’s laws closer in line with federal child labor laws.
The bill proposed to allow individuals ages 16 and 17 to work up to 48 hours a week and up to 10 hours a day on weekend days during vacation periods. The law currently only allows these teens to work 44 hours a week and 8 hours a day during vacation times. This bill does not address teens work thresholds during school, which stands at 28 hours a week.
Advocates for the bill believe an update is long overdue, saying the current law is based on child labor practices dating back to 1915. Opponents of the bill, such as the AFL-CIO, believe creating longer work hours for teens will hurt the job market, giving employers fewer reasons to hire workers.
