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Common Good Iowa regularly releases reports, fact sheets and briefs on an array of policy priorities to advance opportunity for all Iowans. Browse them here.
Tag: child labor
Jobs and labor
October 2025
Iowa’s child-labor laws and enforcement system are failing to protect young workers, with state investigators issuing only minimal penalties even in cases involving serious injuries and death. According to state records obtained by CGI, in 2024, Iowa’s Wage and Child Labor Unit (WCLU) conducted 77 investigations, including one case in which a 17-year-old died on the job. Just four employers received monetary penalties totaling $36,350. Several cases saw penalties dramatically reduced — sometimes by more than half — due to “good faith” or small-business status, even when evidence showed repeated violations.