Send a Letter Today to Secretary Herman

Child Labor Coalition
c/o National Consumers League
1701 K St., NW
Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: 202-835-3323
Fax: 202-835-0747
E-mail: childlabor@nclnet.org
Website: http://www.stopchildlabor.org

The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), the agency charged with protecting working adolescents, has concluded that the current regulations should be revised so that 14- and 15-year old working minors may perform an increased number of cooking activities.

The CLC strongly objects to the USDOL's proposed regulatory changes which would allow 14- and 15-year olds to:

• 1. Cook with electric or gas grills which do not involve cooking over an open flame.
  
  
• 2. Use deep fat fryers which are equipped with devices which automatically raise and lower the "baskets" but not pressurized fryers.
  
  
• 3. Clean, maintain, (including the changing, and disposing of oil or grease and oil or grease filters) and repair cooking devices (other than power-driven equipment) when the surfaces of the equipment or liquids do not exceed a temperature of 140 degrees F.

The CLC believes that these activities are unsafe and inappropriate for 14- and 15-year old workers. The use of grilles of any type; deep fryers of any type; the cleaning, maintenance, and repair of cooking devices; and the changing, cleaning and disposing of oil or grease and oil or grease filters is hazardous, proven by numerous studies and reviews of occupational injuries among minors and eating and drinking establishments. The application of a 140 degree F threshold is an imprecise, inadequate, and unenforceable standard and is not a sufficient safeguard to warrant allowing 14- and 15-year olds expanded cooking activities.

Large numbers of American adolescents are employed in eating and drinking establishments. This industry is one of the largest employers of teens. Data on occupational injuries among older adolescents who are cooking (including cleaning/maintaining equipment and transporting/discarding grease and oil) show that burns are prevalent and among the most serious of injuries sustained by working minors.

We ask you to send a letter to Labor Secretary Herman opposing the U.S. Department of Labor's proposed rule to expand cooking activities among 14- and 15- year olds. Please mail or fax your letter this week. See sample letter link below.

Secretary Herman's fax number is 202-693-6111
cc to: T. Michael Kerr and his fax number is 202-693-1406

Sample letter