Wisconsin Republicans Sure Do Love Child Labor

First they wanted child bartenders, now they want to get rid of work permits.

It’s a little strange. On the one hand, we have Republican heads exploding all over the place, crying about how they just want their kids to be kids and they can’t be kids for some reason if they know that LGBTQ+ people exist.

On the other, boy are they desperate for children — other people’s children at least — to stop watching cartoons and start working (in potentially very dangerous jobs).

Earlier this year, they tried to float a bill that would make it legal for children as young as 14 to work in bars and serve alcohol, which is really not the sort of thing that is meant to happen outside of CW teen dramas.

Sadly, I couldn’t find a good one of Chuck Bass’s Victrola

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Now, they want to eliminate work permits entirely and just take it on the good word of those employing young people that everything is on the up and up.

As of right now, 14 and 15-year-olds who wish to join the workforce must obtain a permit. It costs $10 and requires a statement from the prospective employer explaining the nature of the job and a statement from one’s parents saying they give permission for their child to work. It’s not a big deal and can even be done online, but Republican legislators say even that is just way too much red tape for teens and anyone who might want to hire them.

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Via Wisconsin Public Radio:

State Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee, Rep. Clint Moses, R-Menomonie, and Rep. Amy Binsfeld, R-Sheboygan, say that process creates too much "red tape" for young people joining the labor force. They sent a memo to fellow legislators on Aug. 18 seeking cosponsors for a bill to eliminate work permits.

"This legislation makes it easier for our young people to enter the workforce voluntarily to explore career opportunities and establish a good work ethic," Moses said in a statement. […]

In a statement, Tomczyk said it’s not the government’s duty to "say who can or cannot work" and the decision should be left to parents. 

"We need to motivate Wisconsin’s youth to work and prepare themselves for the real world," he said. "Everyone who wants to work, should be able to work without the government standing in their way."

Except the government does need to stand in the way of some people working — namely children.

The state Senators say that this will not change the hours or the nature of work children are allowed to do, but without that small regulation, it certainly makes it a lot easier for potential employers to skirt the law just a little bit if they know that no one has an eye on them.

I actually worked without a permit when I was 15, under the table. I thought I had been hired to work at this particular place due to my vast knowledge of old Hollywood and silent film era stars, but luckily enough, some people told me that the owner had a reputation for hiring underage girls who all kind of looked like I did and I quit immediately. But if something had gone badly … I could have been in a not-great situation.

There are reasons for work permits that go beyond simply annoying people who wish to start a Bugsy Malone-themed juke joint. Keeping track of where kids are working, ensuring they are working legally, ensuring that they are only working a certain amount of hours, ensuring that the state knows what kind of work they are doing keeps them safe.

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO agrees.

"This is a dangerous strategy, and it should be stopped immediately. We understand the value of kids having part-time jobs, learning work ethic and having to learn some skills, but they need to be safe at work and requiring a work permit for kids as young as 14 and 15 is important," said Stephanie Bloomingdale, the organization’s president said in a statement. "What is administrative red tape to one group is a safety measure to another group."

It’s certainly not enough “red tape” to make it worth undermining children’s safety — and the more the rules around child labor relax, the more room there is for things really going wrong.