ERIC Number: ED352235
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1992
Pages: 8
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Wage and Hour Farm Labor Laws.
Hertel, Catherine
This paper, by a teacher of migrants, summarizes various farm labor laws and child labor laws pertaining to migrant and seasonal workers. The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act of 1983 provides workers with assurances about pay, hours, and working conditions, including safety and health. This legislation permits anyone aggrieved by a violation of any provision by a farm labor contractor to file suit in any Federal District Court having jurisdiction over the parties. Migrant agricultural workers injured at work may sue their employer for damages under federal laws even though they already have received benefits under state law. The Department of Agriculture has reported that violations of existing child-labor laws are more flagrant among farm operators than any other employer category. Field investigators found that half of the 250,000 children of migrant parents were 4 years behind in scholastic achievement, and many failed to complete elementary school. Children are permitted to work in agriculture outside of regular school hours, if employed by parents on the home farms. Children are also permitted to work if they are between 12 and 14 years of age and employed within 25 miles of their permanent homes with written consent of their parents. New Jersey established a Migrant Labor Board to coordinate the responsibilities of agencies concerned with the work force in highly agricultural states. Several Kansas laws are cited that regulate hours children can work, provisions for work permits, and the responsibilities of the schools in the provision of such permits. Under Kansas law, many services provided by children are not considered employment. (KS)
Publication Type: Information Analyses; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A