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End Child Labor in U.S. Agriculture: Support the CARE Act
  1. Signatures
    12,809 out of 15,000
    Petitioning
    1. The U.S. Senate (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The U.S. Senate
      • The U.S. House of Representatives
  2. Created By
    Brittany Shoot
    Boston, MA
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
Why This Is Important

Hundreds of thousands of children are employed as farmworkers in the United States today. Though child labor laws are in place for many sectors, agriculture has a major labor law loophole that exploits children.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), children often work 10 or more hours a day with sharp tools, heavy machinery, and dangerous pesticides, and die at four times the rate of other working youth. They are often unable to keep up with their peers and drop out of school in alarming numbers.

By passing the newly updated Children’s Act for Responsible Employment, or CARE Act (HR 3564), our Senators and Representatives can take a stand against child labor in U.S. agriculture.

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Support the CARE Act and End Child Labor in Agriculture

Greetings,

Hundreds of thousands of children are employed as farmworkers in the United States today. Though child labor laws are in place for many sectors, agriculture has a major labor law loophole that exploits children. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), children often work ten or more hours a day with sharp tools, heavy machinery, and dangerous pesticides, and die at 4 times the rate of other working youth. They are often unable to keep up with their peers and drop out of school in alarming numbers.

By passing the newly updated Children’s Act for Responsible Employment, or CARE Act (HR 3564), you can take a stand against child labor in U.S. agriculture. Among other important assurances, the CARE Act would apply the same age and hour requirements for children working on farms as applied to children in other sectors. It would raise fines for child labor violations, and it would require better data collection on child labor in agriculture by the U.S. Department of Labor. It would also preserve the family farm exception that excuses children working on their parents’ farms.

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