Current Events > Iowa Passes Labor Laws allowing 15/16 years olds to serve alcohol

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://twitter.com/moreperfectus/status/1648316722418442243?s=46&t=bwfmQlA2TyIz7slwIQ0_Lg

And if youre wondering why they would do this, heres your answer

https://twitter.com/moreperfectus/status/1648318390144999428?s=46&t=bwfmQlA2TyIz7slwIQ0_Lg

Yet, the checkout clerk at the grocery store has to page a manager when I buy beer.

I want to see 6 year olds working at the textile factory again lol

Questionmarktarius posted...

Yet, the checkout clerk at the grocery store has to page a manager when I buy beer.

I'm ok with the age reduction to sell beer. Save me some time.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Yet, the checkout clerk at the grocery store has to page a manager when I buy beer.

This I would be fine with, it's a hell of a lot different checking an ID on a sealed product you are only touching to scan, vs pouring and selling beer and alcohol to serve to people. The opportunity for a minor to consume alcohol in either situation is a hell of a lot higher in the scenario they just lowered the age for.

I think it's weird they can sell booze, especially in a resto.

That being said, I'm not opposed to allowing teens to work IF they want to make those dollars. But allowing a 14 year old to work a night shift is fucked and wrong.

15 year olds on assembly lines? How long until they're asked to 'troubleshoot' the equipment and go climbing on it only to get mangled 19th century-style?

We really aren't that far away from kids being back in the mines.

Of all the things in those two tweets to highlight, the topic title seems to reflect the one that I can't imagine many here would object to

Eat_More_Beef posted...

But allowing a 14 year old to work a night shift is fucked and wrong.

If they are willing and capable, what's really wrong about letting some teen check people out in a nice air conditioned space and learn some life skills? Most jobs I'll agree but checking stuff out? 13 year olds can easily do it, it's not really complicated and it's actually pretty good for building social skills plus they get paid well for what it is. I'm not really arguing I'd just like to hear the opposing perspective, when I was 14 I would have killed for that opportunity.

Maybe they got tired on only one lane at Walmart open and don't want to do self check out. Probably think that bagging their own shit is beneath them.

As a server, the idea of a 16yo server sounds like a fucking trainwreck. I don't need to deal with a coworker stopping to ask me "what's in a rum and coke" and such while ringing in orders.

Let me guess though. Underage workers can be paid even less than the pittance im sure Iowa already has set for tipped minimum wage

AirFresh posted...

If they are willing and capable, what's really wrong about letting some teen check people out in a nice air conditioned space and learn some life skills? Most jobs I'll agree but checking stuff out? 13 year olds can easily do it, it's not really complicated and it's actually pretty good for building social skills plus they get paid well for what it is. I'm not really arguing I'd just like to hear the opposing perspective, when I was 14 I would have killed for that opportunity.

Everyone I know who works night shifts catches up on sleep by sleeping during the day.

How's a 14 year old gonna do that when they have to go to school for 8 hours the next morning.

AirFresh posted...

If they are willing and capable, what's really wrong about letting some teen check people out in a nice air conditioned space and learn some life skills? Most jobs I'll agree but checking stuff out? 13 year olds can easily do it, it's not really complicated and it's actually pretty good for building social skills plus they get paid well for what it is. I'm not really arguing I'd just like to hear the opposing perspective, when I was 14 I would have killed for that opportunity.

I think it's more about the kid getting a lack of sleep and then not being able to function at school (which is essentially just to build your social skills). Plus, if you're gonna rob a store, you'd love to have some 14 year old kid manning the register. What are they gonna do about it?

Eat_More_Beef posted...

Plus, if you're gonna rob a store, you'd love to have some 14 year old kid manning the register. What are they gonna do about it?

Oh, another way for children to get shot and killed in America... -_-

DuneMan posted...

15 year olds on assembly lines? How long until they're asked to 'troubleshoot' the equipment and go climbing on it only to get mangled 19th century-style?

I've spent 20 years on an assembly line. A fifteen year old kid has no fucking business there.

I'm almost starting to think Covid killed a lot more workers and Americans in general than the official numbers showed.

anything to avoid paying adults a fair wage

Turtlemayor333 posted...

I'm almost starting to think Covid killed a lot more workers and Americans in general than the official numbers showed.

Blue collar workers bore the brunt of it, as we always do. Office people retreated to their home offices, blue collar and service industry jobs had to keep on going into work and dealing with plague spreading assholes who couldn't be inconvenienced to wear masks.

TaylorHeinicke posted...

Of all the things in those two tweets to highlight, the topic title seems to reflect the one that I can't imagine many here would object to

There was an article/topic about this last week, but didnt touch on reducing the age of alcohol servers, so I was using the topic title to introduce new information.

DKBananaSlamma posted...

I want to see 6 year olds working at the textile factory again lol

Triangularly

Its a bad idea to have young teens able to serve alcohol. Someone that age is much more likely to serve an underage friend. They dont have a sense of true consequence yet.

What are they considering night shift? I had a summer job when I was 16-17 and could work all the way to midnight or later, but the 15 year olds all had to be off work by around 7pm.

(amusement park)

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

No thanks. I make decent money and get to work with my body in a way that keeps me in good shape.

PoopPotato posted...

What are they considering night shift? I had a summer job when I was 16-17 and could work all the way to midnight or later, but the 15 year olds all had to be off work by around 7pm.

(amusement park)

If I read it correctly, they want:

14- and 15-year-olds to work evening work shifts ending at 9 p.m. (currently 7 p.m.)
During summers, 11 p.m. would be the latest (currently 9 p.m.)
Working up to 6 hours a day during the school year (currently 4 hours.)

And change the minimum age where you can serve alcohol from 18 to 16.

TheHoldSteady posted...

Everyone I know who works night shifts catches up on sleep by sleeping during the day.

How's a 14 year old gonna do that when they have to go to school for 8 hours the next morning.

Just keep the kids out of school obviously, however could that go wrong.

Also wasnt mentioned in the original post, but apparently this bill says that employers of these new minimum ages that are below 18 dont need parental consent to give the kids these jobs, responsibilities or hours.

bigblu89 posted...

If I read it correctly, they want:

14- and 15-year-olds to work evening work shifts ending at 9 p.m. (currently 7 p.m.)
During summers, 11 p.m. would be the latest (currently 9 p.m.)
Working up to 6 hours a day during the school year (currently 4 hours.)

And change the minimum age where you can serve alcohol from 18 to 16.

When are they supposed to find time to do homework

AirFresh posted...

If they are willing and capable, what's really wrong about letting some teen check people out in a nice air conditioned space and learn some life skills? Most jobs I'll agree but checking stuff out? 13 year olds can easily do it, it's not really complicated and it's actually pretty good for building social skills plus they get paid well for what it is. I'm not really arguing I'd just like to hear the opposing perspective, when I was 14 I would have killed for that opportunity.

Bro, what the hell are you even going on about?

You seem painfully naive about this whole thing and thats before the levels of abuse that could happen with this.

Kids dont need life skills at that age because life hasnt really started and most arent equipped to handle the responsibilities yet.

Just because you were a 14 year old anecdotal outlier doesnt mean much.

MaxEffingBemis posted...

When are they supposed to find time to do homework

They won't.

They'll just drop out, and continue the stream of uneducated Red State underpaid labor.

Anything to keep undocumented workers getting paid off the books.

I don't see an issue with this. If people that age are allowed to work in general, why should alcohol sales be excluded from what they can do? If you want to argue whether people that age should be working at all, that's another matter (though I see no issue with at least part-time work), but outside of things like sex work I don't see why there should be restrictions on what work they can do.

"Raise the minimum wage? Nah, let's just bring back child labor."

Trumble posted...

I don't see an issue with this. If people that age are allowed to work in general, why should alcohol sales be excluded from what they can do? If you want to argue whether people that age should be working at all, that's another matter (though I see no issue with at least part-time work), but outside of things like sex work I don't see why there should be restrictions on what work they can do.

It becomes a slippery slope, where businesses will avoid hiring "adults" that require a higher wage, and just hire thirty 15-year olds, pay them minimum wage, and give them all just enough hours where they're being exploited, but not enough to have to offer them benefits.

This kids will be fine with it, because they're just looking for pocket money.

bigblu89 posted...

It becomes a slippery slope, where businesses will avoid hiring "adults" that require a higher wage, and just hire thirty 15-year olds, pay them minimum wage, and give them all just enough hours where they're being exploited, but not enough to have to offer them benefits.

This kids will be fine with it, because they're just looking for pocket money.

Pretty much this.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Combine that with the fact that the bill was literally written by lobbyists that represent the National Restaurant Association, and you KNOW this wasn't written with any good intentions.

Watch the video in the OP. One of the Reps literally says "Kids are allowed to be out until 10pm if they are participating in sports or other school related activities, there's no reason why they couldn't be out until 9pm to work".

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

The funny thing is it is. Just change the name from corruption/bribery to lobbying and you're good to go.