Owens opposes youth farm labor rule April 14, 2012 By CHRIS MORRIS - Staff Writer (cmorris@adirondackdailyenterprise.com) , Adirondack Daily Enterprise Save | Congressman Bill Owens says a U.S. Department of Labor regulation is making it difficult for farmers to employ teens under the age of 16. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, said the regulation would allow a farmer to hire a 14-year-old to pick berries in a field, but it bars those teen workers from using farm equipment, even a wheelbarrow, to bring the berries to a processing center. "That's an absurd outcome," Owens said. "I understand if a 14-year-old can't operate a 15-ton tractor; I get that. But to operate a wheelbarrow? Spray down a cow's stall? Clean it up? Use a leaf blower to clean up hay from a barn? Clearly that's not common sense from the Department of Labor." "I think it's just one of these situations where you have a good intention that's badly implemented, which is why I'm opposing it," he added. Owens has co-sponsored legislation in the House of Representatives that would prohibit the labor department from implementing the regulation. Owens said a growing group of bipartisan lawmakers has signed onto the bill. "The Department of Labor been unwilling to modify it," he said in a phone interview. According to Owens, the labor rule changes the description of a "hazardous job," and the agency also changed the description of a family farm to exclude farms owned by corporations or limited liability companies. He said the new regulation, which was approved by the labor department last year, doesn't take into account that many corporations and LLCs are family farms. The issue of youth labor regulations was raised at a hearing on the 2012 Farm Bill that the House Agriculture Committee's in Saranac Lake last month. Michele Ledoux of the Adirondack Beef Company told the committee said the youth labor rules cut "at the heart of family tradition by preventing young people from working on their family's farm. "We have taught them how to work safely around machines and animals," Ledoux said, "so that they have grown up to be as safety-conscious as my husband and I." Owens attended a conference with farmers in Albany on Thursday. He said farmers also pointed out that the labor regulation bars family farms that are corporations or LLCs from letting teens participate in farm labor training, although kids can watch during safety courses and other instructional sessions. "The way kids learn is by watching and doing," Owens said. "Imagine saying to a manufacturer, 'You can do on-the-job training, but they can only watch.'" Owens said he recognizes that farm work does involve "a level of danger," but he noted that small farms in New York state are already struggling to find workers and that the number of farm-related injuries is on the decline. Owens said the bill to reverse the youth labor regulations, introduced last week, is picking up steam and could cruise through the Agriculture Committee. ---
When I was not even ten years of age I was cutting the lawn and had a paper route to earn my own money. All my friends were doing the same thing including yardwork for the elderly for pay. It was totally normal at the time. I don't know if it is common anymore. ( not paper routes ) but working young. Everyone has landscapers, internet for news, and things have just changed. My teen has never even started a lawnmower. It looks to be different now, that is just my view, nothing more. I do not see anything wrong with the youth working under supervision operating safely, tasks age appropriate, especially if they are raised and trained by family members to do so in a family business.
It's because people such as yourself have become too well-to-do than what our parents were that we can afford to give our kids what our parents couldn't. What kid is going to sweat for wage when they know they can weasel it out of you with less effort?
This is true James. To give our children what our parents could not. My parents, they gave so much in their own way. It was more than they could not give at times , they would not. My parents emphasized to work early was so important... life lessons. Yet, I do remember them saying how much easier we had it compared to when they were children. There is learning in working age appropriate jobs for the youth that gives such valuable experience to a childs future. It was good for us
Each generation worked hard to make life easier for the children. The ww2 generation worked in factories, etc so the kid could go to college and not have to do grunt work. The degreed generation works hard so their children don't have to do squat. Which is where we are today. Laborlaws basically outlaw anyone under 18 to work.Where does the kid get money till he joins the work force? Mom & Dads Atm? So now we have kids who possibly graduate from HS (at age 18) with a c average, never worked a day in their life, Sad. ( What the frig could they possibly know?) This 19 yo kid quits MCD and when asked why'd you quit, the reply was "I was tired of being worked like a dog".(Probably read that line in a book, sure as hell didn't live that or come to that conclusion through experience.
Age appropiate job is finding the dumbest 14 year old and determining what they are capable of doing and applying that standard to everyone.
Got to disagree with this a bit - when I started working in the late 70's, a kid couldn't get a work permit (with restrictions) unless they were 16. Now, I believe it is 14 (with restrictions). Youth labor has always been a means for businesses to utilize cheap labor but today's youth does not want to work for anything (look at the rising incidence of cheating or overall lack of effort in our schools systems to see the type of youth we are raising).
Oops, Yes you can owrk under the age of 18, meant to say no one will hire anyone under the age of 18 except MCD. No other fast food or wmt or dept stores. I had to laugh, DD really doesn't want employees of any age to cut sandwiches in half (use of knife - very dangerous) but hands the customer a plastic knife and says "cut it yourself".