The Shameful Return of Child Labor

It's been a while since I've tackled a current event of note, but I felt this particular issue needs special attention. The issue in question feels like a symptom of a larger problem, a sign that society is regressing rather than moving forward. That issue is child labor.

No, you didn't climb into the DeLorean and travel back a century. Child labor is back. In fact, it never went anywhere. A McDonald's franchise restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky made headlines earlier this week when they were caught employing two 10-year-old children. They were unpaid, and reportedly worked until 2 am. 

To be fair, the franchise in question claimed that these kids were the children of the restaurant manager, and they had no idea it was going on. This was only a nugget of a larger finding, however, that found several McDonald's franchisees in the Midwest were employing as many as 300 minors in violation of federal labor laws. 

Again, this isn't the 1910's. People aren't sitting on flagpoles, or wearing coonskin caps. This is happening right now.

A Brief History of Child Labor in the States

Over a century ago, the American economy was struggling, while the Industrial Revolution was in full swing. This unique and contrasting set of circumstances resulted in an economy desperate for workers, while low and middle-class families struggled to put food on the table. In desperate times, humanity tends to channel the ancient primates we evolved from, and throw whatever it can at the wall to survive. 

Photo by Lewis Hine

Child labor was the solution of choice for a floundering American society. Many parents would put their children to work as soon as they could walk or grip things, removing them from school so that they could provide for their families. We're not talking delivering pizzas or bagging things at the grocery checkout either: these kids worked jobs that were dangerous even for adults, like in coal mines or oyster shucking plants, for the absolute bare minimum. 

In 1900, one in five children aged 10-15 were working. That's not to say kiddos younger than 10 didn't work, though. In many places of work, physical attributes were more important factors to employment than age or experience. Photographer Lewis Hine, whose photographs were instrumental in informing the public of the evils of child labor, interacted with several child laborers under age 10, including a young oyster shucker named Rosy. Rosy reportedly worked from 3 am to 5 pm at her factory in Dunbar, LA on a regular basis. She was only 8.

It's bad enough that greedy adults and desperate families robbed 1.5 - 2 million children of the fun and exuberance of childhood, but many employers were routinely abusive to the kids. You can read all about it in Child Labor in America. Many workplaces had whipping rooms for children who were "lazy." Children caught giggling or horsing around had their wages cut...because God forbid a kid acts like a kid. 

If the abuse from adults didn't do the children in, the work itself would. Children working in places like canning factories constantly cut themselves on the machines, and even adults working similar jobs would admit it was difficult to avoid such a painful consequence of the work. The intense hours resulted in sleep deprivation, and there are cases of children nodding off and falling into their machines. Since many factories and mines were poorly lit and ventilated, a litany of health problems plagued child laborers from ear and eye infections, to breathing problems.

Though the federal government would make attempts to curb child labor in the 1910's, the practice would endure well into the 20th Century. The New Deal featured many reforms aimed at establishing a national minimum wage and reducing the amount of children employees.

The Great Regression

Child labor might have ebbed considerably in western countries, but is still a sad reality in many third-world countries with weak economies. UNICEF estimated in 2020 that 1 in 10 children ages 5-17 around the world were being subjected to child labor. Half of these children worked, and continue to work, in hazardous environments. 

In 2017, it was reported that as many as 75,000 children were employed in factories, hotels, workshops and more in Pakistan. Studies conducted in Mexico, Brazil, and Kenya have shown that 25-30% of workers on farms that produce cocoa, tea, tobacco and other crops are under 15 years old. 20 million child workers around the world are employed in industrial settings such as cigarette and garment factories. This doesn't even scratch the surface on the child labor that goes into keeping our global supply chain rolling. Let's just say, a lot goes into making that phone you love. 

So, third-world problem, right? Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

At least four Alabama auto parts suppliers were nailed late last year for sponsoring child labor in their plants. Migrant children, in particular, often find themselves in the crosshairs for exploitation, driven by desperation to support their families back home and a lack of support from the services and programs meant to help them, which have broken down due to the influx in demand. 

A recent New York Times story examined the lives of several child laborers, and confirmed that the practice is very much alive and used by some of our favorite brands, including Ben & Jerrys, Whole Foods, and Ford. At least 13 Packers Sanitation Services meat processing plants have been implicated in a federal investigation for employing children in dangerous settings.

In the meantime, governments that are supposed to be opposing these practices support them instead. In Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law new pro-child labor legislation in March, making it so children younger than 16 no longer need a work permit before they can start a job. I'll let the picture above tell you how the kids feel about that one. As of this writing, Iowa lawmakers are awaiting a signature from Governor Kim Reynolds on new legislation that would allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work two additional hours per day when school is in session, from four to six hours.

The Ultimate Cradle-Robbers

So...what's the big deal?

States across the U.S are modifying child labor laws to address a shrinking labor force. In other words, it's an indirect result of the Great Resignation, as people leave businesses and jobs that are toxic or exploitative for greener pastures. 

In other, other words...kids don't have the ability to push back against exploitation like adults do, so let's put them to work instead. 

As McDonald's grapples with the negative press around some of their midwestern franchises, other fast food restaurants are grappling with an increased push for unionization. Unionization efforts have been seen in franchises such as Chipotle, Taco Bell and, yes, even McDonald's. Starbucks, a chain famously associated with left-wing politics and sensibilities, has practically declared war with their staff over unionization. They closed restaurants where unionization had been successful, and fired workers who were leading unionization efforts. Nevertheless, the CEO of Starbucks would eventually be forced to step down in March as the negative press became too much to overcome.

You see, adults are "difficult." But kids? They can talk back, but they can't fight back. 

While these new child labor policies are presented with innocent language that makes it sound like the kids want to work, what many fear they actually are doing is making it easier for companies to take advantage of disadvantaged children, specifically those who don't have parents or guardians to look out for their wellbeing. The result is a cradle-robbing unlike anything we've ever seen.

Childhood is a time of exploration, joy, and camaraderie. When I was 10 years old, I was still trading Pokémon, sledding, making whirlpools, and riding bikes with the other neighborhood kids. I can count on one hand the amount of times I was awake until 2 am, and that was usually a treat. It wasn't because I had to be, cleaning tables and making food for the kinds of people that populate fast food restaurants at all hours of the night. 

I get it: the adult world isn't super-fun right now. Fears of inflation, war in Europe, a flailing healthcare system, political squabbling... The adult world is rough right now. That's no excuse to drag the kids into it.