Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Kill child labor laws, MO senator says

What is this woman thinking?
Bad enough that a right-to-work (for LESS) bill is speeding through the Missouri legislature. Even worse, state Sen. Jane Cunningham (pictured) wants to eliminate child labor laws.

If that doesn't tell you where these anti-worker, anti-family troglodytes are coming from, I don't know what does.

Yesterday in the Missouri Senate, SB1 and SB 206, both right-to-work (for LESS) bills, merged and passed the Senate General Laws Committee.  Cunningham chairs the committee.

Mike Hall over at the AFL-CIO blog has a great rant about this:
...there isn’t much that surprises me anymore, let alone shocks me. Well, today, I’m shocked. Missouri State Sen. Jane Cunningham (R) has introduced a bill to minimize child labor laws. I could find all kinds of colorful words and descriptions to show just how crazed and outrageous is S.B. 222.  
You have to see it to believe it, and here it is.
  • It takes away the ban on employment of children under 14.
  • It removes restrictions on the number of hours and times of day when a child may work
  • It repeals the work certificate requirement
  • It allows children under 16 to work in any capacity in a motel, resort or hotel
  • It removes Division of Labor Standards' authority to inspect employers who employ children.  
As Hall says, "This is insane."