TIME: Almanac 1993/TIME Almanac 1993.iso/time/032690/03261014.000

Text File | 1992-08-28 | 5.4 KB | 116 lines

                                                                                NATION, Page 18

Suffer the Little Children


A nationwide sweep uncovers exploitation of young workers


    Like breadlines and Hoovervilles, sweatshops and child labor
were supposed to be relics of an uglier era. Yet behind
barricaded storefronts in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, N.Y.,
immigrant women huddle over sewing machines, stitching $2
blouses that stores sell for $15.99. Beside them work children,
some as young as eight, snipping thread and bagging dresses for
as little as $2.50 an hour. The narrow aisles of the garment
factories are cluttered beyond hope of reaching a fire exit,
which in many instances are blocked by debris. In one plant, the
wall around the plastic crucifix is peeling, the tin ceiling
sagging, the floor ankle deep in tissue, scraps, foam and
fluff. But for the steam rising from the ironing boards, the
air does not move. In the front hang row upon row of crisp
white cotton miniskirts bearing the tag CREATED WITH PRIDE IN
USA.

    In city after city, town after town, children are slipping
into the work force to make up for a growing labor shortage,
while the laws designed to protect them are widely flouted. In
New York, it is the garment industry; in California, the
fast-food restaurants; in Iowa, the farms; in Maryland, the
door-to-door candy sellers. Violations of child-labor laws shot
up from 8,877 in 1984 to a record 22,508 last year, as ever
younger children worked ever longer hours at jobs no one else
would take for the pay. Though the majority of underage workers
are middle-class teens supplementing their allowances, many are
undocumented immigrants or impoverished members of the urban
underclass.

    Under fire from child-welfare groups, the Labor Department
last week conducted Operation Child Watch, a nationwide
three-day sweep of 3,400 garment shops, restaurants,
supermarkets and other businesses suspected of abusing young
workers. In all, the operation uncovered 7,000 minors who were
illegally employed, which could result in more than $1.8
million in civil fines. "The cop is on the beat," declared
Labor Secretary Elizabeth Dole. "Violations, whether motivated
by greed or by ignorance, will not be tolerated."

    In Congress, meanwhile, the House Employment and Housing
Subcommittee, chaired by California Democrat Tom Lantos, heard
testimony from victims critical of the Labor Department's
enforcement record. Suzanne Boutros of Plainfield, Ind.,
described how her 17-year-old son was killed while driving a
pizza truck. Matthew Garvey told about losing his leg in a
drying machine while working as a 13-year-old at a car wash.
The fine: $400. "It is shocking to learn," said Lantos, "that
thousands of youngsters are jeopardizing their education,
health and safety by working too many hours, too late at night,
and in dangerous, prohibited occupations."

    Most abuses occur in service industries, such as pizza
parlors, supermarkets, movie theaters and other businesses that
have long relied on teenagers to do menial work. Federal law
allows 14-year-olds to 16-year-olds to work no more than three
hours on school days, not past 7 p.m., up to 18 hours a week.
Investigators raided one restaurant that employed 156 workers
under 16 in violation of the hour restrictions. They also found
900 cases of children operating dangerous machinery -- meat
slicers and paper balers, trash compactors and corn pickers.

    Though no one defends placing children in harm's way, many
employers argue that there is another side to the story.
Teenagers who work after school learn discipline and
responsibility. Migrant farm families, in particular, often
work together in order to earn a semblance of a living wage.
Stanley Quanyoung runs a small garment factory in Brooklyn.
When he was cited last year for illegally employing his
15-year-old nephew Kin Wai Ng, Quanyoung was outraged. If his
nephew were not working, he would be "walking the streets doing
nothing," says Quanyoung. "He would fall into a bad gang."

    Child-welfare advocates reply that they are not against
teenagers working: they are against teenagers being exploited.
Teachers report that students who work late into the night
often fall behind in their homework and doze off during class.
"What that does," says New York Labor Commissioner Thomas
Hartnett, "is rob these young people of their future." Many
states are instituting tougher restrictions: legislation is
pending in New York that would increase fines and reduce hours
worked during the school term, even for 17-year-olds. New
Hampshire requires satisfactory academic performance in order
to obtain a work certificate; Missouri and Washington restrict
the use of children for door-to-door sales to protect them from
exploitation and violent attacks.

    Secretary Dole has set up a task force to review and update
the list of potentially dangerous jobs. She has also stiffened
penalties for violators, who until now might have found it more
profitable to pay the fines than lose their cheap workers. "The
bottom line is that penalties should not, must not be an
acceptable cost of doing business," says William Brooks,
Assistant Labor Secretary for Employment Standards. That is a
welcome change -- and badly overdue.


By Nancy Gibbs. Reported by Gisela Bolte/Washington and Naushad
S. Mehta/New York.