Might Adjustments to Little one Labor Legal guidelines Give Us Teenage Bartenders?

In case you’ve been following home political information, you might need heard that some states are rethinking their youngster labor legal guidelines and bringing extra youngsters into the workforce. (Vox’s Rachel M. Cohen has written a superb overview of the problems at play.) A brand new article by Wilfred Chan at The Guardian explores a proposed change to Wisconsin’s youngster labor legal guidelines that might decrease the age to serve alcohol in eating places and bars to, consider it or not, 14 — an entire seven years under the authorized consuming age throughout the U.S.

One of many legislation’s supporters, state legislator Chanz Inexperienced, clarified to The Guardian that the proposed Wisconsin legislation would nonetheless require drinks to be made by “a licensed bartender” — however that an underage teenager could be permitted, beneath the proposed legislation, to take that drink to a buyer.

Wisconsin’s proposed legislation would decrease the age of alcohol service staff to the bottom age within the nation, nevertheless it’s not the one state to decrease that age under 18. The Guardian cites a report from the Financial Coverage Institute, which reveals that that Wisconsin is one in every of 9 states the place lawmakers have sought to decrease the age at which staff can serve alcohol. In seven of these instances, the legal guidelines handed.

As a lot of opponents of Wisconsin’s legislation have argued — together with each the EPI and spirits trade author Dave Infante — the excessive charges of sexual harassment in meals service create the potential for issues to go very badly for teenage staff in bars and eating places. How this can play out in Wisconsin stays to be seen — however on condition that related legal guidelines are actually on the books in a number of different states, we must always have some proof a method or one other earlier than too lengthy.