Safety and health protections for young hired farmworkers would be strengthened under a Labor Department Wage and Hour Division proposed rule, slated to appear in the Sept. 2 Federal Register, designed in part to align child labor rules pertaining to farm work with child labor rules governing nonagricultural occupations.
“Children employed in agriculture are some of the most vulnerable workers in America,” Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said Aug. 31. “Ensuring their welfare is a priority of the department, and this proposal is another element of our comprehensive approach.”
The proposal, issued pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act, ...