Harrisburg, PA – As many celebrate Labor Day and highlight the worker protections achieved through the efforts of America's labor movement, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Nancy A. Walker today announced L&I has seen a dramatic increase in Pennsylvania Child Labor Act cases referred to the Department for investigation, after committing to make child labor law violations a priority upon taking office in January. Since then, L&I has opened 403 child labor investigations compared to 107 cases during the same time period last year – a 276% increase.
"While we can only speculate on the reason for such a surge in child labor cases, this is a concerning trend involving Pennsylvania's most vulnerable workers. I want teens, parents, school employees, co-workers, local law enforcement and the general public to know that L&I investigates all potential violations of the Child Labor Act. I want employers to know that we will hold you accountable if we determine that a violation has occurred," Walker said.
Secretary Walker is reminding workers under the age of 18 of the protections afforded to them by law and is encouraging employers across Pennsylvania to familiarize themselves with Pennsylvania's Child Labor Act to ensure they are in full compliance with the law.
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