In response to labor shortages,
Wisconsin State Senate has decided
to approve a bill that would loosen
up regulations pertaining to child
labor.
Get those kids back at work,
make them work long hours,
that's what the solution is,
apparently, to the labor shortage.
Wisconsin currently sticks to
federal child-labor laws,
which stipulate that people under
the age of 16 can only work between
7 AM and 9 PM, from June 1st
to Labor Day, and between 7 AM and
7 PM for the rest of the year.
But, here's what the State Senate
just did, Wisconsin Senate
approved a bill on Wednesday, that
would allow 14 and 15-year-olds to
work from 6 AM to 9:30 PM on days
before a school day.
[LAUGH] And 6 AM to 11 PM when
the next day isn't a school day.
The bill, by the way,
would keep in place federal rules
limiting teens to three
hours of work on a school night,
eight hours on non-school days, and
six days of work per week.
And, by the way,
if some of you guys were wondering,
all right, well, what does this
mean in regard to the amount that
14-year-olds would be paid, right?
You would assume that they would
get paid minimum wage.
Well, minor workers are entitled to
be paid the same minimum
wage as other workers.
But workers under 20 can be paid as
little as $4.25 an hour for
up to 90 days of training.
If a state has a higher minimum
wage that would supersede
the minor wage.
But in Wisconsin, the minimum wage
is tied to the federal minimum wage
at just $7.25 an hour.
In fact, Wisconsin's minimum wage
tied to the federal minimum wage,
a special minimum wage of just
$5.90 per hour, $2.13 per hour for
tipped employees, is applicable to
opportunity employees under 20
years old who have worked for
less than 90 days with
their current employer.
So it's very likely that some of
these 14-year-olds who end
up working, late into the night,
will get paid just a measly $5.90
per hour.
But I'm sure there will be all
sorts of justifications for
why that's okay, they're young,
they deserve to be underpaid and
exploited like that.
>> Okay, well, we've got a new
champion in euphemisms, child
labor is now opportunity employees.
Did you notice that?
They just say it without like,
yeah, of course, torture is
enhanced interrogation and
child labor is- >> Yeah.
>> Opportunity employees.
>> It's a great opportunity to be
exploited. >> We gave you
an opportunity,
you get paid less and learn to like
it because that's what's going to
happen the rest of your life.
Now, let's talk about the reality
of why they're doing this.
Is it to give people more of
an opportunity [LAUGH] does
anybody still believe that?
Okay, so, number one,
they have a labor shortage and
why do they have a labor shortage?
because they're not paying enough.
Labor shortages can be
solved overnight, by paying more.
That's just simple economics,
it's literally what you learned in
Econ 101.
No, it's not at all complicated,
pay more, you won't have a labor
shortage, right?
But they don't want to pay
more to adults.
So they say, what if we paid less
to kids and have them work till 11
o'clock at night, and that way,
we don't have to pay the adults?
And the Republicans in Wisconsin
go, yes, that's a great idea,
kids, back to the mines, okay?
Now, one other aspect of this,
when they talk about, look, there's
this mythology of, it's these young
kids who got a summer job,
they're looking for
extra allowance, and this lets them
know how the real world works,
in a good way.
And they work their way up, and so
they build this mythology and then,
of course,
the media trumpets that out as if
that's what actually happening.
No, is it true that there's a small
percentage of people who
are already wealthy, but
their kids, they want them to
learn a lesson or two and they're
working at the local pizzeria?
Sure, but the overwhelming majority
of the cases are, Bobby is working
at the pizzeria because mom and
dad don't make enough.
And they don't have
money to give him an allowance, so,
he has to work there.
He has to work there,
oftentimes for himself, but
oftentimes, also,
to help the family.
This is not some rosy picture you
see on TV where they're like, Bobby
is getting some experience and
he had a good summer job.
And sure he worked a little longer
that taught him how to be a man and
to understand the value of hard
work.
No, Bobby's gotta help mom and
dad because they don't have
enough money, because they're
not getting paid any wages.
Now they say, well Bobby now when
you go to work, you're going to get
paid less than mom.
And that's going to squeeze mom and
dad out of the labor force and
that way corporations will make
even more money.
That's what this is about.
>> That is what this is about.
And I think the point you made
about wanting to, essentially,
respond to the labor shortage with
increasing the pool of potential
workers with the lowest paid
workers, is the best point,
that's what this is really about.
It's a way to prevent, what we're
told time and time again, is the
best part about capitalism, right?
That it's all about market forces.
And in this case, you have workers
who are standing up to terrible
pay, terrible working conditions,
and what do you think they do?
They find loopholes,
they find ways to get around it.
Not by increasing pay or
actually listening to the workers.
But, in this case,
by increasing the pool of workers
with individuals who would be paid
far less, 14-year-olds.
That's it, that's all this is.
>> And now, let me go back to my,
unfortunately, the thing that I
harp on too much, but
it's relevant here.
My god, child labor is back, and
there's several mainstream
media articles I read on it,
didn't even note it.
They've painted it in a generally
positive light.
>> Yeah.
>> What else positive [LAUGH]
about this?
But they'd have no concept of how
hard it is, for
actual Americans working out there,
at these starvation wages.
And, as reporters, they don't even
bother pointing out,
what are we doing here?
This crushes the average worker,
not just Bobby [LAUGH].
Why is Bobby, at 14 years old,
working at 11 o'clock for
depressed wages?
No, not one hint of criticism.
And generally painted as, hey,
look at this,
Bobby's got an opportunity.
>> Yeah, and let me just make
a prediction right here, right now.
Remember, the 14-year-olds will get
paid far less than the federal
minimum wage,
which is already pathetic, right?
Federal minimum wage of 7.25,
in Wisconsin, they'll get paid
a little more than $5 an hour,
as long as it's 90 days or less.
Any day above 90 days, they'd have
to make the federal minimum wage.
Don't be surprised,
if you see corporations succeed in
lobbying lawmakers to repeal that
federal rule regarding the 90 days
for minors, okay?
>> Of course.
>> Again, this country is run by
corporations, we've seen how
effective lobbying is,
you don't think they're going to
lobby to repeal that law?
They'll lobby to repeal that law
and they'll succeed.
And I guarantee you, you're
going to see a massive workforce of
14 and 15-year-olds working for
less than minimum wage,
less than the federal minimum wage.
>> So, last thing on this is
politics.
So, Wisconsin has a Democratic
governor, he should be told this,
this should be easy.
The easiest thing he's ever
done, will he?
I've no idea.
That's the sorry state of
the Democratic Party and
the people who suggested this.
So, you're clear about it, are all
the Republicans in Wisconsin.
They think child labor is a great
idea and lower wages is a greater,
it's a literal, you can go ask
them, and they'll give you a whole
bunch of excuses why you should
make less money and their donors
should make more off of your work.
But there's no question Republicans
in Wisconsin say, bring the kids
back to work and pay them less.