A bill filed in the Florida House could make it easier for employers not to pay college and high school students the state minimum wage.
Florida’s minimum wage rose to $14 dollars an hour in September, and will rise again to $15 dollars an hour next fall.
Under HB 221, filed by Republican Rep. Ryan Chamberlin of Belleview, high school and college students at work-study or in an internship could opt out of receiving the minimum wage.
The bill would require students under the age of 18 to have a parent or guardian sign off on the waiver, and employers couldn’t coerce students to take less pay.
Denisa Metko, director of Rollins’ Center for Career & Life Planning, said paying students even less will backfire. They’ll simply find other jobs off-campus.
“Even currently, we're paying our work study students at $14 dollars an hour, which is the current minimum wage. I cannot imagine it going any lower, and students saying yes to those opportunities,” Metko said.
Metko said she’s worried this will leave some departments on campus that rely on student workers short-staffed.
“I know that our campus supervisors and our own campus departments will suffer as well from not having student support,” Metko said.
Not to mention, there’s a reason why most students prefer doing work-study or internships on campus: these opportunities are designed to give students hands-on learning experiences in their area of study and to prepare them for high-paying jobs in their chosen industry after graduation.
“We may have students who opt out against internships, which tend to be uber important when it comes to their career success, in order for them to find employment opportunities that can help them meet their basic needs,” Metko said.
The waiver would be good for only nine months on the job, so a student could hypothetically change their mind and request the $14 dollars an hour.
Chamberlin filed a similar bill last session. It failed to pass.
Last year, a bill that would have lifted work restrictions for some high school and college student workers also failed to pass. That measure was supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
At the time, DeSantis said, “Frankly, we’re not talking about The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. We’re talking about them working at Publix and Piggly Wiggly.”
Labor advocates have argued that taking away any rights from workers, including the youngest ones, is a violation of worker rights everywhere, and could lead to teen workers being chronically overworked and underpaid in the state.
The next legislative session, where Chamberlin’s bill and others will be discussed, starts January 13.
Read Chamberlin's bill here:
