Herb Kohl: “Mr. President almost two years have gone by since the tragic accident in Janesville, WI, that brought to light the abuse…”

“Mr. President almost two years have gone by since the tragic accident in Janesville, WI, that brought to light the abuse of workers in the magazine sales industry. Since 1992, forty-two sales people have been killed or injured in similar crashes. Unfortunately deaths and injuries still occur. Parents are still separated from their children without knowing where they are or whether they are safe. Young people are not being paid for their work, and are being falsely listed as independent contractors. Roving sweatshops continue to travel our highways and solicit unlicenced in our neighborhoods. My legislation would go a long way toward ending this sad state of affairs. Today I have introduced legislation to crack down on abuses in the traveling sales crew industry. These companies employ crews who travel from city to city selling products door to door. Often times, however, these companies mistreat their workers and violate local, state, and federal labor law. Because they rapidly move from state to state, enforcement efforts are difficult if not impossible for local authorities.”