A bill package getting a hearing Tuesday before the Michigan Senate Labor Committee would create more oversight of child labor in the state.

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The bills would create a centralized state registry of children in the workforce rather than relying on each school district to keep track. The package would also toughen penalties for having kids work in unsafe conditions.

This isn’t the first time lawmakers have tried to update Michigan’s child labor laws since a New York Times investigation revealed extreme cases in West Michigan.

House bills to add more teeth to the state’s child labor laws have been before the full chamber for almost a year. And another to create a centralized way to monitor children in the workforce received a committee hearing in May but haven’t seen action since.

Opponents to those efforts say they could overcomplicate the child work permitting process.

-Reporting by Colin Jackson, Michigan Public Radio Network

Other headlines for Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024:

• The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education Advancement and Potential is hosting a series of free webinars about the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, with the first set for 6:30 p.m. this evening. 
• The city of Detroit is gearing up for its Halloween in the D festivities on Oct. 31, during which several police stations and fire engine houses across the city will host Trunk or Treat events. on Oct. 31. Visitors are encouraged to come in costume.
• The Detroit Police Athletic League is inviting young people to join its Youth Voice Council. The youth-led program is made up of 13- to 18-year-olds who will receive mentorship and training. 

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Calling former President Donald Trump “one of the biggest losers” in the history of American manufacturing, Vice President Kamala Harris is focusing her campaign on a key difference between the two presidential candidates — their relationship to workers.

Trump is scheduled to appear at a town hall in Warren, Michigan on Friday. Automaker Stellantis is planning to layoff hundreds of temporary workers at assembly plants in Sterling Heights, Detroit, and Toledo early next week.

In a statement shared to WDET, Vice President Harris highlighted her opposition to the United State-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) — something Trump has dubbed “the new NAFTA.”

“It was Trump’s trade deal that made it far too easy for a major auto company like Stellantis to break their word to workers by outsourcing American jobs,” Harris says in the statement.

Stellantis has denied it is planning to move any jobs out of the country — despite accusations by the United Auto Workers that the company wants to move production of the Dodge Durango to Windsor, Ontario.

Harris has received the support of most of the major labor unions — including the UAW.

United Autoworkers President Shawn Fain has called Trump a “scab” after the former president crossed picket lines and hosted a rally at a non-union auto parts manufacturer in Macomb County during last year’s UAW strike.

The union has even gone so far to file unfair labor practice charges against Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk after the pair discussed firing striking workers. 

Trump has been confident he’ll get the backing of autoworkers telling rallygoers in Michigan earlier this year “most of the autoworkers are going to vote for me.”  

Manufacturing jobs in the US were trending downward in the year before the pandemic started. Harris says the Trump Administration lost “nearly 200,000 manufacturing jobs.” 

She’s pledged to continue post-pandemic job gains made during the Biden Administration. 

“I will always stand with the UAW. Trusting Donald Trump again is a risk America’s autoworkers cannot afford,” says Harris.

• The full statement from Vice President Harris is below.

“Donald Trump is one of the biggest losers of manufacturing in American history. He makes empty promise after empty promise to American workers, but never delivers. As President, he cut taxes for corporations, encouraged outsourcing, and lost nearly 200,000 manufacturing jobs, including auto jobs. He has joked about firing workers, supported state anti-union laws, and suggested companies move jobs out of Michigan. 

“We’ve seen this movie before. Once again, he is repeating the same playbook and telling the same old lies about how he’ll fight for working people, including those in Michigan. Yet it was Trump’s trade deal that made it far too easy for a major auto company like Stellantis to break their word to workers by outsourcing American jobs. As one of only 10 senators to vote against USMCA, I knew it was not sufficient to protect our country and its workers. Many who voted for this deal conditioned their support on a review process, which as President I will use.

“Enough is enough. American workers deserve a leader who keeps their promises and stands with workers when it matters, and as President, I will bring autoworker jobs back to this country and create an opportunity economy that strengthens manufacturing, unions, and builds prosperity and security for America’s future. I will always stand with the UAW. Trusting Donald Trump again is a risk America’s autoworkers cannot afford.”