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It would also require the Labor Department to compile a list of companies ineligible for federal contracts based on "serious, repeated, or pervasive violations of child labor laws." The Labor Department said earlier this month that in the 2023 fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, 2023, investigations had found close to 5,800 kids illegally employed in the U.S., an 88% increase from 2019. Another bipartisan Senate bill introduced on Thursday by Republican Marco Rubio from Florida, with Democrats Alex Padilla from California and John Hickenlooper from Colorado, and Republican Roger Marshall from Kansas, would require the Labor Department to report more details to lawmakers about the perpetrators and victims involved in child labor cases. A February 2022 Reuters story exposed child labor at Alabama chicken plants, revealing how unaccompanied Central American migrants in debt to human smugglers were working grueling factory shifts. Later, in November, the Labor Department filed a complaint against cleaning company Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI) for employing dozens of kids cleaning meatpacking plants around the country, some of whom suffered chemical burns and other injuries.

Persons: Cory Booker, Kevin Lamarque, Josh Hawley, Republican Marco Rubio, Alex Padilla, John Hickenlooper, Republican Roger Marshall, Rubio, Dick Durbin, Mica Rosenberg, Joshua Schneyer, Kristina Cooke, Aurora Ellis, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Capitol, REUTERS, Democratic, Labor Department, U.S . Department of Agriculture, The Labor Department, Republican, Central, Packers Sanitation Services Inc, Hyundai, Kia, Reuters, Democratic Senators, Senate, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, United States, U.S, New Jersey, Missouri, Florida, California, Colorado, Kansas, Alabama, Korean, Mexico, Illinois, New York

☆ Illegal child labor on the rise with nationwide violations found, Labor Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

JBS has said that they do not tolerate child labor and that they would stop using PSSI at every location where the child labor violations were alleged to have occurred. In addition, the Wage and Hour Division of the Labor Department is currently pursuing more than 700 open child labor cases. Officials at the Labor Department emphasized in a press call this week that the increase in child labor violation findings is partially due to “significantly enhanced child labor enforcement efforts” in recent months. The fight to weaken child labor lawsThe Department of Labor on Thursday said its interagency task force on child labor has begun cross-training with other governmental agencies like Health and Human Services and the Office of Refugee Resettlement to identify and report possible incidences of child labor exploitation. But at the same time that violations of child labor protections are rising, states across the country are introducing legislation to weaken child labor laws.

Persons: it’s, ”, Labor Julie Su, Jordan Barab, Obama, Barab, JBS, Cargill, ” PSSI, PSSI, “, That’s, DOL, Karen Garnett, Tiffanie Boyd, there’s, David Weil, Weil, Jaehoon, Jay, Chang, ” McDonald’s, they’re, Biden, Sen, Rich Draheim, “ That’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Labor Department, Packers Sanitation Services Inc, Cargill, JBS, Department of Labor, Labor, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, PSSI, Blackstone Group, CNN, McDonald’s, of, “ Employers, Heller School for Social Policy, Management, Brandeis University, Hyundai, Kia, Health, Human Services, Refugee Resettlement, US Department of Agriculture, Economic, Institute, Minnesota, Republican Locations: New York, Nebraska, JBS USA, Minnesota, Louisiana, Texas, Louisville , Kentucky, McDonald’s, United States, DOL, Alabama, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Missouri , Ohio, South Dakota, Arkansas, Iowa, America

☆ A growing number of US states are working to loosen child labor laws so your next bartender could be an underage teenager
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In April, Iowa's senate voted to pass a bill that would allow teenagers to serve alcohol. Legislators in Wisconsin are pushing to lower the alcohol service age from 18 to 14 years old. In April, Iowa's Republican-led state senate voted 32-17 to pass a bill rolling back child labor laws in the state. The bill would allow teens to work until 9:00 p.m. during the school year and until 11:00 p.m. over the summer and serve alcohol. The restaurant industry is backing legislators in their efforts to loosen child labor laws, according to the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.

Persons: Nina Mast Organizations: Service, Economic Policy Institute, Iowa's Republican, Institute, National Restaurant Association, US Department of Labor, Packers Sanitation Services Inc Locations: Iowa's, Wisconsin, Wall, Silicon, Iowa , Michigan , Ohio , Kentucky, West Virginia, New Mexico , Alabama , Wisconsin, Idaho, Pennsylvania

☆ US meatpacker JBS opens cleaning unit after outside firm fined for hiring kids
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The new company, JBS Sanitation, will "immediately begin the transition" to cleaning 10 JBS USA facilities, which produce beef and pork, according to a statement issued this week. JBS Sanitation will also do in-house cleaning for Pilgrim's Pride Corp (PPC.O) and create "hundreds of union jobs," the statement said. JBS USA is the North American unit of Brazil's JBS SA (JBSS3.SA), which also owns most of Pilgrim's Pride. JBS USA did not immediately respond to questions about the costs of the launch on Thursday. JBS USA previously said it terminated contracts with PSSI at "numerous" facilities, including three plants where alleged child-labor violations occurred.

The timeline shows the challenges of quickly finding and implementing replacements for Packers Sanitation Services Inc (PSSI), which provides cleaning services at slaughterhouses. "We made the decision to terminate the agreements with PSSI," Hans Kabat, who leads Cargill's protein business in North America, told Reuters. Cargill said it notified PSSI in March that it was terminating services at a beef plant in Dodge City, Kansas, and then followed with all PSSI's sanitation contracts. One of the largest penalties stemmed from PSSI's contracts at Cargill's plant in Dodge City. Cargill, the world's largest ground beef producer, is reviewing options for cleaning plants, Kabat said.

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - Meat companies should examine their supply chains for evidence of child labor, the Biden administration said in a letter sent to top meatpacking companies on Wednesday. The letter is part of an effort by several agencies, led by the Department of Labor, to curb the use of illegal child labor across sectors. In February, the Labor Department found that more than 100 children had been illegally employed by Packers Sanitation Services Inc, a company that contracts with meat-packers to clean slaughterhouses. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asked meat and poultry companies in the letter to determine whether illegal child labor is being used in their supply chains and to adopt stronger child labor standards for subcontractors. The Department of Agriculture is exploring enforcement mechanisms that would allow stronger oversight of child labor use in food supply chains and plans to take future steps on the issue, an agency spokesperson said.

☆ Senators ask 27 CEOs to make sure their companies comply with child labor laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Laura Strickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The company entered into an agreement with the agency pledging compliance with child labor laws and consented to third-party oversight. This is the second Senate inquiry citing NBC News reporting on child labor. JBS has zero tolerance for child labor, discrimination or unsafe working conditions for anyone working in our facilities. In a local newspaper editorial, Hearthside CEO Darlene Nicosia wrote the revelation of child labor was "a shock and major disappointment to us." Hearthside is in the midst of a 60-day independent review of child labor practices by an outside law firm, according to a spokesperson.

☆ Biden administration to crack down on child labor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Laura Strickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

More than 3,800 children were found to be working at U.S. companies last year in violation of federal law, the Labor Department said Monday in announcing a crackdown on child labor. Some 835 companies were founded to be illegally employing minors last year, the Labor Department said, and more than 600 child labor investigations remain ongoing. In stepping up its efforts to target companies that use child labor, the Labor Department will use new strategies to launch investigations where child labor violations are most likely to occur. The agency called on Congress to increase the maximum penalty for child labor violations, which is currently $15,000. "That's not high enough to be a deterrent for major profitable companies," the Labor Department said in a press release.

☆ Sanitation company accused of employing children as young as 13 for 'hazardous' work hired the same child twice
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Britney Nguyen | Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A sanitation company that paid $1.5 million in penalties after being accused of employing children hired one child twice, NBC News reports. The child was hired under two different identities in six months, per NBC News, citing an internal report. The company confirmed to Insider that it demoted the employee who hired the child. "We have been crystal clear that we do not want a single person under the age of 18 working for the company," Swenson said. In its filing, the department accused the company of employing at least 102 children ages 13 to 17 in "hazardous occupations."

☆ U.S. Fines Food Sanitation Company $1.5 Million for Hiring Children to Clean Meatpacking Plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | Patrick Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Labor Department said Packers Sanitation Services Inc. illegally employed teenagers. A food sanitation-service provider accused of hiring at least 102 children to work overnight shifts cleaning meatpacking plants in eight states has paid $1.5 million in penalties, the Labor Department said. Packers Sanitation Services Inc. illegally employed minors between the ages of 13 and 17 at 13 meatpacking facilities around the U.S., the federal agency said Friday.

☆ Sanitation company pays $1.5 million penalty for hiring children for 'hazardous' factory work like cleaning beef bone saws, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US Labor Department filed a complaint against PSSI following a three-month investigation into unlawful child labor claims in November. PSSI was charged $1.5 million in penalties as a result of the investigation, officials said. The department accused the sanitation contractor of having employees as young as 13 working "hazardous" overnight shifts. The DOL filed a complaint seeking a temporary restraining order and injunction against the food safety sanitation service following its investigation. The company added that no children are currently employed, and many hadn't worked for the business in years.

☆ Federal officials find more than 100 children working in dangerous jobs for slaughterhouse cleaning firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Laura Strickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Packers Sanitation Services has paid a $1.5 million fine for the violations. The Labor Department says the children who were working overnight shifts used "caustic chemicals to clean razor-sharp saws." "Our investigation found Packers Sanitation Services' systems flagged some young workers as minors, but the company ignored the flags. The company signed a consent decree in December with the Labor Department and agreed to abide by child labor laws after federal investigators documented 50 children working at slaughterhouses for it. The compliance specialist will conduct child labor audits, which will be shared with the Labor Department for three years.

☆ Federal government investigating possible human trafficking of children who cleaned slaughterhouses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Laura Strickler | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

There is no indication DHS is investigating the company that hired the children, Packers Sanitation Services Inc., or PSSI, for human trafficking. The Labor Department’s Child Labor Regulations designate many roles in slaughterhouse and meatpacking facilities as hazardous for minors. The Labor Department says its investigation, which began in August, is ongoing as it scours company records from 50 locations. I don’t anticipate unless there are severe ramifications for this that it will actually change policies.”The Labor Department has issued no penalties or fines to date. Labor DepartmentQuestions about child labor at PSSI in Grand Island and Worthington are not new.

☆ The company accused of employing dozens of minors in slaughterhouses on the graveyard shift reaches agreement with the feds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Laura Strickler | Julianne Mcshane | Laura Strickler Is A Washington-Based Investigative Reporter With The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

An industrial cleaning company accused by federal investigators of hiring dozens of children to clean slaughterhouses during the graveyard shift has resolved the allegations with the U.S. Department of Labor, according to a federal court filing filed Tuesday morning. The company will also provide a new child labor provision in its contracts with clients and will notify the Labor Department as to how many employees it terminated as a result of its compliance with child labor laws. Allegations of child labor at a slaughterhouse in Grand Island, Nebraska, date back to 2016, according to a previously unreported local police report obtained by NBC News. At least three chiildren suffered chemical burns as a result of working in the slaughterhouses, according to that complaint. The Department of Labor’s Child Labor Regulations designates many roles in slaughterhouse and meatpacking facilities as hazardous for minors.

☆ Children Illegally Worked Overnight Shifts to Clean Meat-Processing Plants, Labor Department Says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Talal Ansari | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

JBS, one of the world’s largest meat processing companies, said it worked with a third-party to audit sanitation providers after it was made aware of the allegations. Dozens of minors, some as young as 13, were illegally employed to clean meat-processing plants in Minnesota and Nebraska, federal authorities said. The Labor Department filed a federal complaint in Nebraska asking for a nationwide temporary restraining order and injunction against Packers Sanitation Services Inc., a food-safety company that provides contract sanitation services, over the allegations.

☆ Food sanitation company accused of employing at least 31 children on graveyard shifts in slaughterhouses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

A leading sanitation company is accused of employing dozens of children to clean the killing floors of slaughterhouses during graveyard shifts, the Department of Labor announced. The Department of Labor’s Child Labor Regulations designates many roles in slaughterhouse and meatpacking facilities as hazardous for minors. That order requires PSSI to “immediately cease and refrain from employing oppressive child labor” and comply with the Department of Labor’s investigation. Yet, the children working overnight on the kill floor of these slaughterhouses cannot wait,” the complaint states. When they are hired by PSSI, workers sign paperwork assuming the risk of death and injury on the job, NBC News reported last year.

☆ Food plant cleaning company accused in federal probe of hiring children for 'hazardous' work that left 13-year-old with chemical burns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US Labor Department filed a complaint against PSSI following a three-month investigation into unlawful child labor claims. The department is accusing the sanitation contractor of having employees as young as 13 working 'hazardous' overnight shifts. PSSI emphasized its 'zero tolerance' for violating its policy of employing anyone under 18 years old. A news release Wednesday from the DOL said Packers Sanitation Services Inc. employed at least 31 children — ages 13 to 17 — in "hazardous occupations." But a PSSI spokesperson said in a statement to Insider Thursday that it has a "zero tolerance" policy around hiring employees under 18.

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