U.S. Dept. of Labor fines food sanitation contractor $1.5M for child labor violations

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Packers Sanitation Services child labor violations overview: 

• Who: The U.S. Department of Labor has fined Packers Sanitation Services Inc. $1.5 million following an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division. 
• Why: The agency discovered Packers had unlawfully employed more than 100 children between the ages of 13 and 17 at a total of 13 different meat processing facilities spread across eight U.S. states.
• Where: The violations occurred in 13 U.S. states.

The U.S. Department of Labor has hit Packers Sanitation Services Inc. with a $1.5 million fine following an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division revealed the food safety sanitation service employed more than 100 children. 

The agency levied the child labor fine after it found Packers had employed at least 102 children between the ages of 13 and 17 in hazardous occupational roles with overnight shifts at 13 different meat-processing facilities. 

Investigators discovered the children had jobs working with hazardous chemicals to clean a variety of meat processing equipment, including razor-sharp brisket saws, back saws and head splitters. 

“The child labor violations in this case were systemic and reached across eight states, and clearly indicate a corporate-wide failure by Packers Sanitation Services at all levels,” Jessica Looman, Principal Deputy Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, said in a statement about the fine. 

The fines were levied under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), with the penalties assessed for each of the minor-aged employees the agency determined Packers unlawfully employed. 

Packers fined maximum amount possible under federal law

The child labor fine amount is the maximum civil money penalty that Packers could face under federal law, according to the department, which began its investigation in August 2022 and concluded it Nov. 9, 2022. 

“These children should never have been employed in meat packing plants and this can only happen when employers do not take responsibility to prevent child labor violations from occurring in the first place,” Looman said. 

The children worked at meat packing facilities in eight states, including facilities run by popular processors like George’s, Tyson Food, Turkey Valley Farms, Cargill and Maple Leaf Farms, among others. 

In October, a group of Nestlé USA customers asked a federal judge in California to reject the company’s attempt to dismiss a third-amended class action lawsuit accusing it of relying on child and slave labor to source the cocoa used for its chocolate products. 

Have you been unlawfully employed on account of your age? Let us know in the comments.

If you know, are or have been a minor who has been forced to work in unsafe conditions, you may be eligible to participate in a free class action lawsuit investigation.

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