Proposed MO bill may remove teen work permit

david MOSS

Last summer, Sneha Deo, freshman, applied for a variety of jobs and found employment at Culver’s in Ellisville.

“A lot of places didn’t accept 14 and 15 year olds,” Deo said. “I like making money so I can spend time with my friends, do fun stuff and not always ask my parents for money.” ment at around 3.5%,” Maki said. “But we don’t think they should balance a labor shortage on the backs of teen workers.”

As a 15 year old, Deo is required by the state of Missouri to obtain a work permit signed by the school, student and employer to be able to work. The permit helps to ensure she doesn’t work past 7 p.m. on school nights and no more than 8 hours daily.

However, a new bill in the Missouri Senate may remove the work permit enabling students aged 14 and 15 to work without any permission or interference from the school. Ten other states have passed or may pass legislation that would ease restrictions on child labor.

The Child Labor Coalition was active in opposing legislation that removed the work permit for those 14 and 15 years old in Arkansas, Maki said. Their reason for opposing it, and why they would oppose this legislation in Missouri, is because the work permit provides age verification and ensures jobs are safe and allowed.

“When you remove those checks, more of the responsibility falls on the employer, the parents and the teen,” Maki said. “The teen and the parents tend not to know too much about child labor law, and, frankly, some employers tend not to know too much about child labor law.”

Debra Hux, Welcome Center secretary, signs student work permits and files a copy for the school, employer and state.

Ried Maki is the coordinator of the Child Labor Coalition and director of child labor advocacy for the National Consumers League. He leads the coalition by organizing meetings, advertising and interacting with Congress and federal agencies to influence and change government policies pertaining to child labor laws.

Maki said the overall trend of weakening child labor restrictions is due in part to large conservative majorities in many states across the nation that now feel they are able to take on these long-held protections.

“Some of these legislators are saying the reason they want to weaken protections is that there’s a labor shortage, and this may be true with unemploy-

Maki said the work permit can help ensure that students who are already struggling in school don’t attain a part-time job.

“We’re not against kids having part-time jobs, but we would like to see the federal and state protections maintained,” Maki said.

Andrew Rekart, freshman, is 15 years old and works at PJ’s Tavern in Ellisville. He said he has positive and negative feelings about the removal of the work permit, as this may speed up the hiring process and make it easier for job-seeking youth to find employment.

“I could see it being a downside though, because at that point, their parents could force them to work,” Rekart said.

Scott Szevery, AP U.S. History teacher, said the topic of child labor is an important part of U.S. history. Over a century ago, it was decided that children should have a childhood and receive an education rather than slave away in a factory, Szevery said.

Szevery said he questions the motives of legislators making it easier for minors to work. Students are often too busy to have a job on top of classes, homework and extracurriculars. The time for work is later, as students will be working for the rest of their adult lives.

However, it is sometimes necessary for teens to work in struggling households, Szevery said.

“I think what we need to decide on as a society is the best way to help those struggling families,” Szevery said. “Is it through child labor or government assistance that allows those kids to stay in school.”