A food sanitation service company has paid over $1.5 million in civil money penalties after an investigation found it had employed more than 100 children.
The company, Packers Sanitation Services, had employed at least 102 children between the ages of 13 and 17, all of whom worked in hazardous jobs and worked overnight shifts at 13 different meat processing facilities in eight states, according to an investigation by the Department of Labor. The investigation found that the children, three of whom suffered injuries while working for PSSI, were working with hazardous chemicals and cleaning meat processing equipment, such as back saws, brisket saws, and head splitters, according to a news release from the department.
“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,” said Principal Deputy Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division Jessica Looman. “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.”
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A PSSI spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that it conducted multiple audits of its employee base "as soon as we became aware of the DOL’s allegations." The company also hired a third-party law firm to review its policies and conducted more training for hiring managers.
"Our audits and DOL’s investigation confirmed that none of the individuals DOL cited as under the age of 18 work for the company today, and many had separated from employment with PSSI multiple years ago," the spokesperson said. "The DOL has also not identified any managers aware of improper conduct that are currently employed by PSSI."
On Nov. 9, 2022, the department's solicitor’s office filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court of Nebraska based on evidence that PSSI had employed at least 31 children at JBS USA plants in Grand Island, Nebraska, and Worthington, Minnesota, and at Turkey Valley Farms in Marshall, Minnesota. U.S. District Court Judge John M. Gerrard responded to this complaint a day later with a temporary restraining order that forbade PSSI and its employees from committing child labor violations.
PSSI paid the $1.5 million in civil money penalties on Thursday. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Department of Labor assessed PSSI $15,138, the maximum civil money penalty allowed by federal law, for each employee 17 and under who was employed in violation of the law.
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“The Department of Labor has made it absolutely clear that violations of child labor laws will not be tolerated,” said Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda. “No child should ever be subject to the conditions found in this investigation. The courts have upheld the department’s rightful authority to execute federal court-approved search warrants and compelled this employer to change their hiring practices to ensure compliance with the law. Let this case be a powerful reminder that all workers in the United States are entitled to the protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act and that an employer who violates wage laws will be held accountable.”