Diving overview:
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federal court approved Preliminary injunction against three poultry farming companies In California, an investigation found that workers under the age of 16 were using sharp knives to remove bones and cut chicken, leading to a crackdown on various child labor and wage laws.
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Ann Amended preliminary injunctionThe legislation, filed on October 26th, charges Tony Elvis Bran and four other employees who operated a single company, The Exclusive Poultry, Inc., Valtierra Poultry LLC, and Meza Poultry LLC, with child Violations of labor regulations, harassment of labor inspectors, and retaliation against employees are prohibited. It also prohibits shipments of “hot goods” that used child labor or were processed by workers who have not been paid overtime in the past 30 days.
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This measure was taken by the Ministry of Labor. Claim against defendant And the Biden administration Measures to crack down on the rise in child labor. A lawyer representing Brann declined to immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dive Insight:
Since 2020, the number of children illegally employed by companies has increased. doubled to 5,792According to data from the Ministry of Labor, more than 900 companies were investigated this year.
Investigations into poultry facilities in Exclusive, Baltierra and Meza found that employers instructed workers under the age of 18 to use sharp knives to debone and cut poultry. According to the release, the company also directed minors to work long hours, in some cases not permitted by law, and failed to pay overtime wages.
“These employers put children at risk, stole wages, and threatened retaliation if we told investigators about their illegal activities,” Wage and Hour Division Regional Administrator Ruben Rosales said in a statement.
The agency issued citations related to wage payments, child labor, record-keeping, employee retaliation, and obstruction of a federal investigation. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California last week approved a modified injunction, finding that the processor plans to reopen the facility on Oct. 28.
District Judge Mark Scalsi ordered the defendants to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act and compensate employees accordingly.
Agriculture is one of the major industries susceptible to child labor. Following a feature article in the New York Times Magazine, 14-year-old immigrant boy with disabilities The removal of the bones of the equipment prompted the Justice Department to launch an investigation into Tyson Foods and Perdue Farms last month.
In April, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a letter to 18 large meat and poultry processors. Urge you to take further precautions To reduce the occurrence of child labor within our facilities or throughout our supply chain.
