Labor Dept. investigating Perdue, Tyson over migrant child labor

Perdue, Tyson child labor investigation overview: 

• Who: The Department of Labor is launching an investigation into Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods. 
• Why: The agency is launching its investigation following a New York Times Magazine article that purported to detail how Perdue and Tyson use migrant children to clean their slaughterhouses in Virginia. 
• Where: Perdue and Tyson are nationwide companies. 

The U.S. Department of Labor has launched an investigation into food processing companies Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods over concerns they may have used migrant children to clean their slaughterhouses. 

The investigation was launched in the wake of a New York Times Magazine article published on Sept. 18 that purported to detail how migrant children were being used to clean slaughterhouses belonging to Perdue and Tyson in the state of Virginia. 

Migrant children that have been allegedly put to work by Perdue and Tyson are as young as 13 years old, according to the Times report, which detailed how they have allegedly been working overnight shifts to clean the companies’ slaughterhouses. 

The Department and Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, meanwhile, will conduct the investigation into the alleged child labor violations by both Perdue and Tyson, reports NPR. 

Perdue Farms, Tyson Foods accused of using migrant children to complete cleaning tasks they aren’t old enough to legally do 

The agency has also launched an investigation into cleaning companies Fayette Industrial and QSI, which have been contracted by Perdue and Tyson to oversee sanitation at their processing plants, respectively, reports Reuters. 

If the Times report is true, Perdue and Tyson would reportedly be violating the law by having a person under the age of 18 complete tasks such as handling acid pressure hoses and cleaning blood and meat scraps from an industrial machine. 

Perdue, in a statement provided to NPR by a spokesperson, said it is aware of the investigation and plans to cooperate, reports NPR. Tyson reportedly told NPR that, as of Monday afternoon, it was not aware of an investigation and thus would not have a comment. 

Child labor violations have almost quadrupled since they reached a low point in 2015, according to data from the Department of Labor, which showed the infractions have led to both injury and death while on the job. 

In other news involving Perdue and Tyson, the companies received a final approval in February 2022 for $35 million worth of settlements that were made with chicken farmers to resolve claims Perdue and Tyson colluded to raise the price of chicken. 

Are you concerned with claims Perdue and Tyson used migrant children to clean their slaughterhouses? Let us know in the comments! 

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