Michelle Cox, a small business owner in Maquoketa, Iowa, thought she was following the law.
In Iowa, teenagers as young as 14 are allowed to work until 9:00 p.m. on school nights and 11 p.m. during the summer. So, since Michelle knew she was complying with state law, she thought nothing of it when teenagers who worked a few days a week at her restaurant stayed on their shifts until closing.
That is until the U.S. Department of Labor came knocking. Federal law requires teenagers to clock out by 7 p.m. on school nights and 9 p.m. in the summer.
Michelle, who was only trying to give teenagers in her community a safe place to learn new skills, make friends, and earn a paycheck, suddenly found herself caught in the middle of a conflict between state and federal child labor laws. Now she faces excessive fines and pressure from the federal government, despite immediately complying with the federal standards once they were brought to her attention.
If teenagers are allowed to participate in extracurricular activities until late at night, why can’t they work a paid job during those same hours?
If students can serve food at an evening sporting event as volunteers, why can’t they do the exact same work but get paid for their labor?
Why is the federal government fining and bullying small business owners in conservative states over teenage work hours more than they are in other states?
These are all valid questions that the federal government seems unable—or at least unwilling—to answer as it enforces child labor laws. Inconsistent enforcement and bullying by the federal government over something as benign as a teenager having a part-time job making sandwiches can cause wide-reaching damage, not only to the economy but also to the livelihoods and futures of small business owners and the young Americans they want to hire. Learn more about the power of work and why teenagers should be given more opportunities to be part of the workforce.
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