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Letter from a Former Amish Child Sawmill Worker to Congress |
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United
States Senate United
States House of Representatives
October 21, 2003
Dear
Senators and Representatives:
I was born and raised Amish.
Both my brother and I were forced at a very young age to work in
a sawmill that was owned and operated by our Amish uncle.
As soon as we left elementary school at age 14 it was decided by
various leaders in the community that we would work on the sawmill
because our family was poor and needed the money.
We protested this decision, but our protests were overruled by
the leaders in the Amish community. The sawmill work was
extremely dangerous and strenuous.
We worked around saws, belts, cables and other power equipment
used to move and cut logs. We
rolled heavy logs onto carriages where they were clamped and cut.
We lifted and carried boards weighing hundreds of pounds.
Often times we had to step over tracks while carrying these
boards, which created risks for slipping or twisting.
My brother and I were lucky in that neither of us suffered a
serious injury, but to this day I have back problems due to the two
years of hard physical labor that I did on that sawmill. My brother and I each
earned less than minimum wage in these jobs, about $20 per day.
The days were at least 8 hours long, and often 10 hours.
We did not receive any of this money as it was paid directly to
our parents. Our experience in the
sawmill convinced me that sawmills are completely inappropriate places
for children to be working. There
was nothing about our Amish upbringing that made the sawmill any less
dangerous for us than it was for children of other religions. I am now 31 years old, a toolmaker and a father of two young
children. There is no way I
would allow my children to work in a sawmill and I am grateful for laws
that prevent all children, regardless of faith, from working in
sawmills. For these reasons, I was
shocked and dismayed when I read news articles stating that Congress was
considering a change in the law that would allow Amish sawmill owners to
employ Amish children as young as 14, while preserving child labor
protections for children of other faiths.
This would be a tragic mistake, as Amish children need these
protections at least as much as non-Amish children.
Amish children, because of their parents’ financial condition
and the lack of educational opportunities, are particularly vulnerable
to exploitation by sawmill owners.
I had also thought that the U.S. Constitution would prohibit such
blatant discrimination based solely on a child’s religion. I do not think that the
safety provisions included in the proposed legislation will make these
jobs safe for children. Sawmills
are inherently dangerous for children and cannot be made safer by simply
limiting the use of power equipment or the distance between the children
and such equipment, or requiring adult supervision.
I had all those things on the sawmill, and it was still much too
dangerous for children. I applaud those Senators and Representatives who are standing up for Amish children and ask you to please continue your opposition to this proposed legislation. I implore others who might be considering the proposal to reject it and maintain current child labor protections for Amish children as it is for any other child, regardless of religion. I speak for many Amish children who have no choice in this matter, because for them it is futile to speak out. Thank you for listening to my concerns.
John Miller
Mansfield, OH 44906 Posted with permission from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. |
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