by Tom Conway, Inequality.org
Brad Greve has been a Scout leader for more than 20 years. The Davenport, Iowa retiree leads 50-mile canoe trips on Minnesota’s Boundary Waters that test teens’ mettle while teaching them essential skills.
Greve told a story recently where two boys, despite being warned repeatedly, let their canoe drift perilously close to a section of stream that swept over rapids into a lake below. They just barely recovered and made it to streambank.
That near-accident a few years ago, Greve said, underscores the vulnerability of young teens. And it fuels Greve’s anger at Republicans across the country who want to gut child labor laws and fill dangerous jobs with still-maturing high schoolers.
A GOP bill in Iowa, for example, would allow 14-year-olds to work in industrial freezers, meatpacking plants, and industrial laundry operations. The legislation would also put 15-year-olds to work on certain kinds of assembly lines, allow them to hoist up to 50 pounds, and allow employers to force kids into significantly longer work days.
Recent Posts
The FBI Sought Search Warrants For Columbia Students’ Social Media
Take Action Now New court documents reveal how the feds tried to unmask the Columbia students — and got blocked by federal judges on First Amendment…
Greta Thunberg Speaks From Aid Ship Heading To Gaza Despite Israeli Threats: It’s My Moral Obligation
Take Action Now “We cannot have climate justice without social justice. The reason why I am a climate activist is not because I want to protect…
Democratic Party Leaders Just Met For The First Time In Months. When Will They Take Real Action?
Take Action Now Countless Americans want the party leadership to stand up for democracy. Instead, the executive committee remains in a bubbleBy…
In California, The Biggest State Democratic Party Is Adrift
Take Action Now Many in the party are tired of the status quo — but few are willing to say so publicly.By Josh Koehn, The San Francisco Standard……