A proposal to roll back Maine’s child labor laws was defeated in the Legislature’s Labor Committee on Friday.
LD 1346, sponsored by Rep. David Burns (R-Whiting) would have created a $5.25 an hour “training wage” for workers under 20 years old, a sharp reduction from Maine’s $7.50 an hour minimum wage. The bill would have also eliminated the maximum number of hours minors over 16 can work on school days. (Because, you know, the big problem with our economy is that high school kids don’t work enough on school days.) Needless to say, education advocates and parents reacted in horror, and the Labor Committee voted unanimously against the bill.
Now for the bad news: LD 1346 wasn’t the only child labor bill snaking its way through Maine’s legislative system.
The other is LD 516, sponsored by Sen. Debra Plowman (R-Hampden) and backed by mural-hating Governor Paul LePage. In its current form, which is thankfully weakened from the original proposal, the bill would allow students to work until 11pm, and up to 24 hours during the week:
Those questions should be the basis for economic policy decisions in Maine and across the country. The politicians who answer those questions with “high school kids need to work more and study less” are not living in the same world as the rest of us.
LD 1346, sponsored by Rep. David Burns (R-Whiting) would have created a $5.25 an hour “training wage” for workers under 20 years old, a sharp reduction from Maine’s $7.50 an hour minimum wage. The bill would have also eliminated the maximum number of hours minors over 16 can work on school days. (Because, you know, the big problem with our economy is that high school kids don’t work enough on school days.) Needless to say, education advocates and parents reacted in horror, and the Labor Committee voted unanimously against the bill.
Now for the bad news: LD 1346 wasn’t the only child labor bill snaking its way through Maine’s legislative system.
The other is LD 516, sponsored by Sen. Debra Plowman (R-Hampden) and backed by mural-hating Governor Paul LePage. In its current form, which is thankfully weakened from the original proposal, the bill would allow students to work until 11pm, and up to 24 hours during the week:
Democrats and labor advocates believe Plowman’s bill goes too far toward undoing the state’s update to the child labor laws passed in 1991.Apart from the direct impact on students themselves, here’s my other question: How on Earth does this help the economy? How does this get unemployed folks back to work? How does this set Maine on a path to a better future?
Those laws were crafted amid complaints from teachers that students were falling asleep in class after working long hours.
Opponents also worry that rolling back the regulations will allow employers to pressure minors into working longer hours. They also fear the proposal will shift emphasis from education and school-sponsored extracurricular activities.
Industry groups, including the Maine Restaurant Association, have argued that Maine’s law was too strict compared to child labor laws in other New England states.
Those questions should be the basis for economic policy decisions in Maine and across the country. The politicians who answer those questions with “high school kids need to work more and study less” are not living in the same world as the rest of us.
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