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With child labor violations on the rise across the country, West Virginia lawmakers want to make it easier for kids to [View all]
Workforce challenges you say? Raise pay? increase benefits? Tax credits for hiring the unemployed? Nah, put more children into the workforce!
With child labor violations on the rise across the country, West Virginia lawmakers want to make it easier for kids to work
West Virginia lawmakers focused on the state’s workforce challenges have prioritized passing a bill this session to remove work permit requirements for 14 and 15-year-olds.
The measure would replace the existing permit, which requires school approval, with a simple age certificate from the state Division of Labor and written parental consent.
Labor advocates say eliminating those permits weakens protections for young workers and could set a dangerous precedent for child labor rights in the state, opening the door for exploitation.
“In my professional experience, I’ve never heard one single complaint about the process in place for 14 and 15-year-olds to obtain a permit,” said Josh Sword, president of the West Virginia AFL-CIO. “I have no idea where this is coming from.”
West Virginia lawmakers focused on the state’s workforce challenges have prioritized passing a bill this session to remove work permit requirements for 14 and 15-year-olds.
The measure would replace the existing permit, which requires school approval, with a simple age certificate from the state Division of Labor and written parental consent.
Labor advocates say eliminating those permits weakens protections for young workers and could set a dangerous precedent for child labor rights in the state, opening the door for exploitation.
“In my professional experience, I’ve never heard one single complaint about the process in place for 14 and 15-year-olds to obtain a permit,” said Josh Sword, president of the West Virginia AFL-CIO. “I have no idea where this is coming from.”
https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/03/12/labor-permits-child-work/
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