'Fight until our very last breath': Unions rally against bill weakening child labor law

FRANKFORT — Unions rallied in the Capitol on Wednesday against legislation that would weaken Kentucky's child labor laws and allow driverless vehicles on its roads.

"We are letting this legislature know that we will fight until our very last breath," said Tim Morris, the executive director of the Greater Louisville Central Labor Council.

Gov. Andy Beshear spoke at the rally, saying he has supported every pro-union bill and vetoed every anti-union bill that has come before him.

"You've got a governor that stands beside you and says 'no' to child labor," Beshear said. "By the way, what General Assembly wants to be the one that says yes to child labor?"

What is HB 255, the child labor bill?

House Bill 255, sponsored by Rep. Philip Pratt, R-Georgtown, would dismantle and replace Kentucky's current child labor law and regulations.

It would clear the way for 14- and 15-year-olds in Kentucky to work more than the number of currently allowed hours per week if the person has been expelled from school, has a child to support, and for other reasons. It would also remove most caps on how long 16- and 17-year-olds can work, including while school is in session.

HB 255 also allows under-16s to work at certain formerly prohibited activities. Among them are some forms of manufacturing; catching and cooping poultry; loading and unloading goods from railroad cars, trucks and conveyor belts; and using power-driven mowers and cutters in landscaping work.

The bill has already gained the approval of a House committee and is awaiting a floor vote, which could come as soon as Thursday afternoon.

Organized labor groups are staunchly opposed to the measure.

"They want to turn back the clock, they want us to go back to the 1940s and give us child labor," said Bill Londrigan, former president of the Kentucky state AFL-CIO. "They talk about looking out for the kids but they want to put kids to work."

What is HB 7, the driverless vehicle bill?

House Bill 7, sponsored by Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, is aimed at allowing driverless autonomous vehicles on Kentucky roads.

It would require certain large trucks — semitrailers that weigh over 62,000 pounds — to have humans onboard for the first two years of the law’s operation.

The bill has already passed the House 61-31 and now must gain approval from the Senate Economic Development Committee.

Organized labor groups say they oppose the measure because of safety concerns and because it could eliminate trucking jobs.

"HB 7 is a danger to Kentucky residents, Kentucky drivers, Kentucky families and Kentucky jobs," said Avral Thompson, president of Teamsters Local 89 in Louisville. "I don't want my family around it."

What is House Bill 500, the lunch break bill?

Also sponsored by Pratt, House Bill 500 would repeal Kentucky's current lunch and rest period laws as well as a law requiring time-and-a-half for work done on the seventh day in a row.

The bill would not require a meal break, instead mandating that employers pay workers for time spent eating on the job unless a meal break is provided.

It would also eliminate 10-minute rest breaks that employers must currently provide for every four hours of work. And it would remove punishments for employers who do not pay minimum wage or overtime for the time employees spend traveling to worksites beyond their normal commutes.

The bill has not yet been assigned to a committee for an initial hearing. That did not stop union activists from speaking against it.

"Everybody deserves a lunch and rest break," Morris said.

Reach Rebecca Grapevine at rgrapevine@courier-journal.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @RebGrapevine.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Unions rally against Kentucky bills weakening labor protections