A federal court entered a permanent injunction against a food sanitation contractor after the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigators found at least 81 children from 13 to 17 years of age were employed in hazardous occupations.
Packers Sanitation Services Inc. LTD, one of the country’s largest providers of food safety sanitation services, agreed to immediately comply with child labor laws at all facilities nationwide and in a consent order and judgment entered by a federal court in Nebraska, according to a Dec. 6 news release.
“The Wage and Hour Division will complete its investigation and ensure children are not working in violation of federal laws at this company or at others,” Wage and Hour District Director in Chicago Michael Lazzeri said in the release. "This case should serve as a stark reminder for all employers that the U.S. Department of Labor will not tolerate violations of the law, especially those that put vulnerable children at risk.”
The consent order also requires the company to take significant steps to ensure future compliance at its Nebraska and Minnesota operations, including hiring an outside compliance specialist, the release reported.
The Department of Labor has seen increases of 50% in child labor violations since 2018, Lazzeri said, according to the release. Workers under 17 are restricted from some types of jobs and the number of hours and times 14 and 15-year-olds can work is limited.
