“Working Families Party 🐺 @WorkingFamilies”
"Duvan Tomas Perez, killed working in a poultry plant.
Michael Schuls, killed working at a logging company.
Will Hampton, killed working at a landfill.
This is why child labor laws exist. Companies can’t be allowed to turn to kids when adults refuse to work for poverty wages."
It’s appalling that this is even a question. Children don’t need better terms for working at the abattoir, the garbage dump or the sawmill; they need not to be working in those places.
So true. I can’t fathom why a civilized country would let children do labor. This is some straight up 3rd world shit.
I think you described exactly what is happening to this “civilized” country.
I can’t fathom why a civilized country
Making some bold assumptions there, I think.
The need for capital to find ever cheaper labor to exploit, accelerated by Republicans. I was trying to avoid loaded terms like “civilized” and “third world”, but it does not make the USA look good at all.
They should allow children to work to get money, if that is the only way to get money. Of course, it would be preferable that no one has to work to survive. Or do you think the government should provide free money only to children?
Some people would argue for UBI for everyone, not just children.
But at least in my experience, children get money as an allowance from their parents, which I suppose is somewhat like UBI.
In any case, children should not need money of their own to survive. Their needs should be provided for by the parents.
I think a guaranteed basic income for young people only would certainly make up for keeping them from working. Like you said, nobody having to work to live would be the ideal, but to ban people from being able to support themselves and doing nothing to make up the difference creates artificial dependence that keeps people in abusive situations with no recourse.
Before I left reddit I was shut down for expressing the option that children shouldnt even be laboring to sell cookies, popcorn, or candy bars. It’s all exploitative. Some people think this is character building.
With all due respect, fuck that. It would be one thing if they were forced to do that to support their families, but they’re not. In 99% of cases they’re doing it to support an activity they enjoy. For instance, the girl scouts of America is not a business and their activities are not free. Selling cookies is how they afford to do fun shit.
Do they really need to be selling junk to people to do fun shit? Can’t the families and community support them without making them labor to sell some company’s junk product for a pittance?
Can’t even get young people to vote, no chance in hell they would ever become organized enough to form a union. Besides, it shouldn’t fall on our young to protect themselves, that should be the role of leaders and we should apply immense pressure to make them do that.
They aren’t even old enough to vote.
They are prevented from voting due to age discrimination. There’s nothing physical or mental preventing most young people from voting, only cultural and legal.
Of course under 18 can’t vote in the US, I’m just saying that even those over 18 (~25) who can, don’t. They have the means to influence change and they can’t be bothered to do so, therefore how can we expect even less mature youth to organize something as complex as unified labor?
🤦♂️ Any company found abusing children should be immediately shut down permanently. No fines. No discussions. No deals. No second chances. Just immediately put out of business, all assets seized and sold off with the money distributed to the out of work employees.
Punish the people in addition to the business. Anyone who knew, or would have any reason to know, the age of the child should be fined if they are given prohibited duties and jailed if any harm comes to the child while tasked with prohibited duties.
Nothing will happen if a business is put out of business, rich people will just scoop up the resources and continue on with a small cost of doing business. All corporate and business practices that harm people (employees or the public) need to have the chance of jail time for business leadership to discourage it in the future. It doesn’t even need to be draconian, just consistently enforced at the individual level.
Absolutely! 👍
The fact that minors need a union at all is the failing of the system. This is insane and the fact we can’t do anything to stop it is infuriating.
