Make Kids Work Longer for Less, Say Maine Republicans

Republican attacks on working people began immediately after they gained the majority in several state governments late last year under the banner of "fiscal responsibility". In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker announced he'd fix a budget shortfall by smashing public sector unions. The governors of Ohio and Michigan took similar aim at unions and working people.

But Maine Republicans have set their sights on an even more vulnerable population of workers: kids.

In a state whose unemployment level is closing in on 8%, the Maine GOP has decided they'll help get the economy back on track by putting the state's child labor laws on the chopping block. Their proposals would allow kids to work longer hours during the school week for pay that is below the minimum wage.

Two bills, LD 1346 and LD 516, roll back Maine's child labor laws by doing the following:

• Permit employers to pay workers under age 20 as little as $5.25 an hour (Maine's minimum wage is $7.50).
• Allow kids under 16 to work up to 4 hours on school days.
• Eliminate the maximum number of hours kids over 16 can work on school days.
• Allow 16 and 17-year olds to work until 11pm on school nights.

Maine Republicans claim such laws would simply allow students to earn extra spending money and build their resumes. Republican Governor Paul LePage even pointed to his own childhood, saying, "I went to work at 11 years old. I became governor. It's not a big deal. Work doesn't hurt anybody."

In reality, however, the bills will distract students from their education while creating a source of cheap labor for state businesses.

"As Maine’s working families struggle to withstand this recession, we look to lawmakers to pass policies to create jobs, improve the state’s economy, and provide greater access to education and training for our workforce," says the Maine Women's Lobby, a fierce critic of the measures. "LD 1346 contributes nothing toward these goals. It simply sends a message to our working teens that they are worth less."

Child labor laws in Maine were first enacted in 1847, and workplace protections for children form the bedrock of our national labor legislation. Tell Maine Republicans: Stop the Attack on Child Labor Laws!

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