Union reps slam Iowa legislators after child labor violations rack up

Suspected child laborer in Cedar Rapids/Photo submitted by Rep. Sami Scheetz

By Amie Rivers

July 26, 2024

Labor leaders in eastern Iowa called out Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Republicans who backed new laws to loosen child labor, and tied it to Project 2025’s goal of loosening child labor nationwide during a forum in Cedar Rapids last week.

Rick Moyle, executive director of the Hawkeye Area Labor Council, referenced recent comments by Reynolds and business lobby groups blaming the US Labor Department for fining Iowa businesses who broke the law.

“The bill that passed violates federal law,” Moyle said. “And so what the state of Iowa was asking the federal government to do is ignore that in Iowa, and let us have 14-year-olds and 15-year-olds working long hours in high-risk jobs.

“I think that that’s sad and it’s sickening,” he added.

“They not only knew about the conflict, but the conflict was intentional,” said Jennifer Sherer, director of the State Worker Power Initiative, part of the Economic Policy Institute. “They want the federal law to change.

“I know we’ve had a lot of attention on Project 2025 the last few weeks,” she added. “These types of proposals are cropping up in documents like that as well.”

Ayman Sharif, executive director of the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa, said longer hours was only one of the problems.

“Child labor, wage theft, and work injuries often time, tragically, happen at the same time,” he said.

But State Rep. Sami Scheetz (D-Cedar Rapids) said Republicans didn’t seem to care.

“We have met complete resistance from the Republican Party when it comes to efforts to curtail child labor,” he said.

Felicia Hilton, political director of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, placed the blame squarely on Reynolds.

“She has done everything she can possibly do to build her political career on the backs of targeting children in Iowa,” she said.

Mike Sadler, regional president of the Cedar Rapids Building and Construction Trades, had a theory on why that was.

“The current legislature and governor—the controlling parties in Des Moines—prefer to have the working class poor and uneducated,” he said.

Amie Rivers

Amie Rivers is Iowa Starting Line's newsletter editor. She writes the weekly Worker’s Almanac edition of Iowa Starting Line, featuring a roundup of the worker news you need to know. Previously, she was an award-winning journalist at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier; now, she very much enjoys making TikToks and memes and getting pet photos in her inbox.

Have a story tip? Reach Amie at [email protected]. For local reporting in Iowa that connects the dots, from policy to people, sign up for Amie's newsletter.

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CATEGORIES: LABOR

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