NEWS
Labor Dept. Alleges Tennessee Firm Hires Children To Clean Dangerous Slaughterhouse Equipment
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The U.S. Department of Labor on Wednesday asked a federal court to issue a nationwide temporary restraining order and injunction against an industrial slaughterhouse janitorial firm accused of illegally employing children in dangerous tasks.
According to the Labor Department, Tennessee-based Fayette Janitorial Service LLC employs children as young as 13 years old to clean dangerous equipment during overnight shifts at a Perdue Farms plant in Accomac, Va., and at Seaboard Triumph Foods LLC in Sioux City, Iowa.
In the filing requesting a restraining order, the Labor Department alleges Fayette employed 15 children in Virginia and at least nine in Iowa on overnight sanitation shifts. The children were allegedly required to clean dangerous kill floor equipment such as head splitters, jaw pullers, meat bandsaws, and neck clippers.
“Federal laws were established decades ago to prevent employers from profiting from the employment of children in dangerous jobs, yet we continue to find employers exploiting children.” Wage and Hour Division Administrator Jessica Looman said in a statement. “As weve unfortunately seen in this case, employers violations of federal child labor laws have real consequences on childrens lives. Our actions to stop these violations will help ensure that more children are not hurt in the future.”
At least one 14-year-old at the Virginia facility suffered severe injuries while employed by Fayette, the agency said.
The temporary restraining order and injunction were requested to stop the company from employing children while the agency continues its ongoing investigation into the company. Fayette employs more than 600 workers to provide sanitation and cleaning services for meat and poultry processing facilities in about 30 states, the agency said.
“The employment of children in hazardous occupations is an egregious violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act that should never occur,” said Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda. “The Department of Labor continues to use every available legal resource to protect workers and end child labor violations. We are working diligently with other federal agencies to combat child labor exploitation nationwide.”
TMX contributed to this article.
