Labor Day is not supposed to be a children’s holiday

Arkansas is leading the way in making it easier to exploit children at work. {NAME},  Duvan’s proudest achievement was buying his own car with his salary at a Mississippi poultry plant.  Michael was an avid athlete who played every sport his Wisconsin school offered — including football, basketball, baseball and soccer.  Will had just discovered a passion for mechanics and was known as a big brother to every little kid in the neighborhood of his Missouri hometown.  Each of these boys should be celebrating the start of a new school year and planning for a bright future. But all three were tragically killed in industrial accidents this summer.  All of them were 16. [A compilation of 3 photos of the young men killed on the job. From left to right: Duvan Tomas Perez, Michael Schuls, and Will Hampton, each aged 16 at the time of their death.] While federal labor laws do allow employers to hire children aged 16 and older, those jobs cannot be on the lengthy list declared hazardous by the secretary of labor. OSHA is investigating each of these cases and the results are pending, but there are two things we know for certain:  1. No kid should be working a dangerous job, and yet...  2. Republicans are making tragedies like this MORE likely.  Here in Arkansas, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders pushed through a bill loosening child labor laws less than two months into her term. But Sarah is hardly alone.  As Biden’s Department of Labor has begun cracking down on child labor violations (which have shot up 283% since 2015!) Republican governors and lawmakers all across the country are pushing laws that make it easier for children to be hired into dangerous jobs.  Many of these jobs target migrant children. Duvan, the Mississippi teen killed in the poultry plant, was a Guatemalan immigrant.  There’s little doubt in my mind why Republican lawmakers are on the warpath to bring back child labor.  The American labor movement is stronger than it’s been in my lifetime. As workers are unionizing and standing up for their rights, Republicans are desperate to weaken labor’s power.  And simply put, children are easier to exploit.  This is a nationwide epidemic. Multiple children have been injured on the job in meat packing plants right here in Arkansas, and a DOL investigation has kids illegally employed in similar hazardous jobs scattered across the country.  So where is Congress in all of this? ALL FOUR Republican congressmen representing Arkansas voted against the PRO Act – twice. And none have voiced objection or concern over the rollback of child labor protections in Arkansas or anywhere else.  EVERY WORKER deserves safety on the job. Our kids deserve a full childhood AND full labor protections when they *are* ready to enter the workforce.  But as long as Republicans are in charge, their future – perhaps even their lives – are at risk.  We’re working hard to change that here at Vortex. The candidates we are recruiting and training to FLIP these four seats will be steadfast champions for strong unions and labor rights here at home AND across the country.  Labor Day is not supposed to be a children’s holiday. Join us, and help Vortex elect bold Democrats who will protect workers’ rights at any age. Robb Ryerse [Support Vortex PAC](      Vortex PAC is a new grassroots movement to transform Arkansas politics away from the far-right. We are recruiting, training, and supporting Democratic candidates to flip all four of Arkansas’ U.S. congressional districts and help win back the House majority in 2024. [DONATE >>](   Paid for by Vortex PAC  ©2023 Vortex PAC, all rights reserved  Our mailing address is: Vortex PAC PO Box 1141 Springdale, AR 72765 We're sad to see you go, but if you believe you received this email in error, or you no longer wish to receive our emails you can unsubscribe using the link below: [Click here to unsubscribe.]( Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Vortex PAC, please [click here](.