Photo: AFP via Getty Images
(Davenport, IA) -- Quad Cities union workers and parents joined at the UFCW Local 431 in Davenport to protest proposed changes to Iowa's child labor laws.
Protesters say Senate File 542 and House File 647 could put teenagers in danger, but supporters of the bills say the changes would help address labor shortages and give teens more working experience.
The rally was held Saturday, March 25th with protesters raising concerns over the possible changes and the message "Iowa Kids Are Not For Sale."
The proposals could allow 16 and 17-year-olds in Iowa to serve alcohol, allow teens as young as 14 to work six-hour nightly shifts with longer hours in the summer, allow 15-year-olds to work in assembly production loading and unloading items up to 50 pounds, and allow employers to recruit teenagers for "work-based learning" programs that were previously not aloud in the state due to hazards.