L.A. company hired children to cut poultry with sharp knives, regulator says

In summary

• The Exclusive Poultry Inc. has agreed to pay $3.8 million in wages, damages, and penalties for hiring children for dangerous work.
• This case is one of many child labor investigations conducted by federal labor officials last year.

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Child labor surge

At two Los Angeles-area poultry processing plants, U.S. Department of Labor investigators found grueling working conditions for at least eight child workers. These children, as young as 14 years old, worked up to 12 hours a day, cutting and deboning poultry in a cold warehouse. The child workers were all indigenous Guatemalan migrants who spoke little or no Spanish or English. The investigation revealed that the companies withheld workers’ wages, endangered young workers, and retaliated against employees for speaking up.

Hiding workers

The Exclusive Poultry Inc., a supplier for major grocers such as Ralphs, ALDI, and Grocery Outlet, was found to have employed child workers in dangerous jobs. The Labor Department discovered that the company’s owner, Tony Bran, set up “front companies” to employ workers at his plants. These companies paid workers below the minimum wage or failed to pay overtime. They also intentionally omitted workers from payroll records. Additionally, the “front companies” took steps to hide minors from investigators, such as hiding them in bathrooms and closets or sending them out a back door when investigators arrived.

‘Hot goods’

Bran and the associated companies violated the “hot goods” provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which prohibits companies from shipping products that come from locations where child labor has been observed in the past 30 days. The Labor Department is working to identify more child workers at the poultry processing plants and distribute the money they are owed.

Ongoing scrutiny

The defendant companies will be monitored for three years, and workers who were fired after investigators’ visits will receive preferential hiring for open positions. This is not the first time Bran and his affiliated employers have faced labor violations. In April, they reached a $1.47 million settlement with the state Labor Commissioner’s Office for wage theft citations.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The issues highlighted in the article relate to child labor, working conditions, labor rights, and the violation of labor laws. These issues are connected to the Sustainable Development Goals mentioned above.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including among others through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles.
• Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labor in all its forms.
• Target 10.7: Facilitate orderly, safe, regular, and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.
• Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 4.7.1: Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development, including gender equality and human rights, are mainstreamed at all levels in national education policies, curricula, teacher education, and student assessments.
• Indicator 8.7.1: Proportion and number of children aged 5-17 years engaged in child labor, by sex and age group.
• Indicator 10.7.1: Recruitment cost borne by employee as a proportion of yearly income earned in country of destination.
• Indicator 16.3.1: Proportion of victims of violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized mechanisms.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: calmatters.org

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