Rep. McNally Looks to Partner with Ohio Department of Commerce to Combat Child Labor

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown) today sent a letter calling for a partnership with the Ohio Department of Commerce (ODC) to combat illegal child labor following an NBC report that claimed that two dozen minors, mainly from Guatemala, were working illegally in a poultry plant run by Gerber’s Poultry in Kidron, Ohio.

“These are serious, and common, transgressions that call for heightened oversight and intervention by the Ohio Department of Commerce. Exploitation of children should never be tolerated, and I take these incidents very seriously,” said Rep. McNally. “I look forward to future collaboration between the Ohio legislature and the ODC to ensure that we receive the resources and funding to keep our children safe.”

As the Ranking Member of the House Commerce and Labor Committee, Rep. McNally has been an advocate for strengthening Ohio’s economy and addressing labor shortfalls, offering several amendments to legislation like the Substitute Senate Bill (Sub. SB) 30, legislation that would violate the federal Fair Labor Standards Act to allow children to work later into the evening.

“As a working mom of four from Youngstown, I know how hard it is for people to come to Columbus and voice their concerns about these dangerous bills. I see it all over my part of the state. Children are not products, they are kids and they are vulnerable,” said Rep. McNally. “We should be investing in workers, not turning our babies into another cog in the economic wheel. One person’s profits are not more important than the future of this state, or our children.”

Democrats in the Commerce and Labor Committee offered several amendments to Sub. SB 30, many of which focused on addressing gaps in enforcement of existing child labor laws and penalizing violations. AM0808 would have allowed the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Wage and House Administration to hire staff to perform audits of businesses that hire minors, ensuring employers were securing proper work permits and parental consent prior to employment. AM0781-2 would have increased fines for violating existing child labor laws to $50,000 and appropriated $150,000 to investigate minor labor law violations and complaints. AM0778 would have required school employees to report awareness of or reasonable suspicion of a student under 16 years old being employed in a manner that violates Ohio's minor labor laws. Each amendment offered by the Democratic members was voted down, along party lines, before Sub. SB 30 was passed out of Committee, also along party lines.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A copy of the letter sent to the Ohio Department of Commerce is attached to this release.