CLC Responds to Senate Subcommittee on Amish Bill

Washington, DC, May 5, 2001--This morning, the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee examined whether the Fair Labor Standards Act should retain prohibitions against hazardous work among Amish working youth that are in place for all other working minors. The Child Labor Coalition urged the Subcommittee to not allow Amish youth to work in industries that are proven to be hazardous and would threaten their health and safety.

In a letter to Subcommittee members, the CLC said, “We appreciate the cultural and religious diversity of the United States. In this case, however, there is no evidence that Amish children working in these hazardous occupations would be more protected from serious injury than other minors. As the hazardous occupation orders prohibit the work of minors in proven dangerous industries and occupations in order to protect children's lives, it is important to consider the injuries associated with these industries. The number of injuries and illnesses in the lumber and wood products industry is more than twice the rate for all private industries.”

A long standing effort to allow Amish children as young as 14 to work in logging, sawmills, and woodworking shops is making its way through Congress. Last year, Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) introduced H.R. 221, a bill that passed in 1999. Senator Arlen Spector (R-PA) introduced legislation in the 106^th Congress (S. 1736) to amend the Fair Labor Standard Act’s child labor protections to allow Amish youth to perform limited work in facilities that are currently prohibited for all youth under 18.

The Child Labor Coalition opposes this effort to weaken the hazardous occupation orders that protect the working youth of our nation. The CLC believes, moreover, that making exceptions for one group of minors sets a dangerous precedent for weakening the child labor laws and will make it difficult to defend not allowing the same work for all minors.  The CLC asks Congress to leave the tragedies of child labor in sawmills and manufacturing as a page from the past, not our future.

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America's pioneer consumer organization. NCL's three-pronged approach of research, education and advocacy has made it an effective representative and source of information for consumers and workers. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to representing consumers on issues of concern.