Labor \"Weak Protections Under U.S. Law Allow

Labor

"Weak protections under U.S. law allow children as young as 12 to work unlimited hours outside of school on tobacco farms of any size, and there is no minimum age for children to work on small farms. Despite the known risks of nicotine poisoning, there are no special provisions in U.S. laws or regulations to protect children from the unique hazards of tobacco work."

I was aware that there were a few exceptions to child labor laws on family farms. This alone is a sensitive issue given the potential for injury with lifelong consequences, along with the conscription of children into farming labor that may detract from their ability to pursue other careers. Yet until reading this passage, I had no idea that child labor was still permitted in a larger context in the United States, especially in large farm contexts. When it comes to exposure to pesticides, dangerous machinery and other hazards of the farming industry, it does not seem humane to employ children. This article, and this passage, reveals the need to tighten loopholes related to child labor in the United States.

The passage does admit that United States labor laws are "weak" with regards to children working on farms. It also admits explicitly that "tobacco farms of any size" can employ children as young as 12 years old. This is in spite of the fact that tobacco farms do use pesticides and working conditions often involve extreme heat, and exposure to chemicals. Child labor laws are in place to prevent the types of abuses evident on tobacco farms. There should be no loopholes in this area. In fact, even adults should enjoy some protections against the types of working conditions tobacco farming presents. It is admirable that major tobacco companies seem to be recognizing the value in modernizing their labor model to exclude child labor, but it remains surprising that such a system remains in place in the United States.

Work Cited

"U.S. Tobacco Giant's Move Could Reduce Child Labor," Human Rights Watch. 2014. Retrieved online: http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/11/05/us-tobacco-giant-s-move-could-reduce-child-labor

2. "Messrs. Posner and Weyl go a step further by advocating the adoption of Gulf-style labor systems by Western nations. "If the OECD countries copied the migration policies of the GCC countries, they would reduce global inequality by much more than their welfare systems do within their borders," they wrote."

This passage is shocking on many levels. For one, these are American economists and scholars writing in favor of the bonded labor system that exists in the Gulf states like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. This system enables workers from developing nations like India and Bangladesh to come to work in wealthy nations like those in the Gulf, allowing them to earn four to five times as much as they would back home. The catch is that the workers have no rights whatsoever, have poor working conditions, and even need to petition their employer for exit visas if they want to leave. Moreover, the labor system establishes debt the workers are forced to pay off with their labor. The workers basically pay for the privilege of working with the companies. The system can be called a modern form of indentured servitude, but is officially labeled the kafala system.