Is Child Labor Back in Missouri?

Senator Jane Cunningham's proposal to roll back Child Labor Laws in Missouri was widely mocked, both in Missouri and nationally. But after Cunningham dropped her bill under pressure from just about everybody, it seemed like Missouri Republicans had decided to pursue their quest to crush working families using other despicable methods.

Not so fast, though. It turns out the new budget just passed out of the Missouri House actually eliminates all of the people who investigate child labor and minimum wage complaints, effectively defunding any enforcement of the laws.

KMOV has the story:

The cuts would get rid of all the investigators who look into child labor and minimum wage complaints.

Lara Granich, director of Missouri Jobs for Justice has a hard time believing the cuts. "This puts workers terribly at risk of unscrupulous employers,” she says. “If a worker is being denied a fair wage, or children in dangerous condition, there's no one to do anything about them."

Click here to email your state senator and tell them to keep these enforcement mechanisms in place.