Rather than offering wages attractive to adults, employers want lawmakers to push teens into some of the most dangerous jobs in the country.
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
Is A Citizens United 2.0 Right Around The Corner?
July 15, 2025
Take Action Now Is it possible for American democracy to be further degraded by the influence of billionaires? Thanks to champion of the working…
U.S. Leaders Gave Up On Diplomacy With Iran. We Must Make Them Return To It.
July 15, 2025
Take Action Now Building an antiwar movement means preventing the systemic U.S. aggression that creates the conditions for war.By Hanieh Jodat,…
What To Do When You See ICE In Your Neighborhood
July 14, 2025
Take Action Now How can you deter the Trump administration’s immigrant deportation machine when it pops up in your community? Follow these…
ICE Campaign Of Violence Will Lead To More Deaths
July 14, 2025
Take Action Now Jaime Alanis’s death shows the horrific consequences of a secret police force behaving with utter impunity.By Natasha Lennard, The…