National food manufacturer agrees to pay $140K in penalties after federal investigation finds 11 teens employed illegally in Minnesota meat snack plant

Investigation Reveals Child Labor Violations at Monogram Meats Snacks Facility

CHANDLER, MN – Monogram Meats Snacks LLC, a national food manufacturer, has been fined $140,164 in civil money penalties by the U.S. Department of Labor. The company was found to have employed at least 11 children, nine of whom operated hazardous machinery, at its meatpacking and food processing facility in Chandler, Minnesota.

Violation of Federal Child Labor Laws

The investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division, which began in March 2023, revealed that Monogram Meats Snacks LLC employed five 17-year-olds, four 16-year-olds, and two 15-year-olds during the investigation period. This employment violated federal child labor laws.

This investigation is part of the division’s ongoing efforts to combat child labor, which has seen a 69 percent increase in children being employed illegally by companies since 2018.

Commitment to Combating Child Labor Violations

Principal Deputy Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman stated, “As we made clear earlier this year, the Department of Labor and the Biden-Harris administration are committed to combating the troubling increase in child labor violations. No employer should ever jeopardize the safety of children by employing them to operate dangerous equipment. Employers are legally responsible to recognize potential child labor violations and to take all appropriate actions to verify that they are not employing children illegally.”

Consent Judgment and Order

In addition to the civil money penalties, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota entered a consent judgment and order on July 6, 2023. This order requires Monogram Meats Snacks LLC to comply with child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The company must also take specific steps to ensure compliance, including hiring a third-party consultant to conduct nationwide audits, establishing a toll-free number for employees to report potential child labor compliance issues anonymously, and identifying and marking hazardous equipment.

Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda emphasized, “This case’s resolution makes clear the Department of Labor will not tolerate companies seeking to profit by illegally employing children. Child labor abuses are a stain on our nation, and we will continue to utilize every tool and legal strategy at our disposal to keep young people safe.”

Furthermore, Nanda added, “The employment of children in hazardous occupations cannot be allowed here in the U.S. or in any other nation. In this and similar cases, we have put companies that employ children to produce goods illegally on notice that we will stop them from shipping and selling goods produced under the ‘hot goods’ provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act.”

Monogram Meats Snacks and Monogram Food Solutions LLC

Monogram Meats Snacks LLC is a subsidiary of Monogram Food Solutions LLC based in Memphis, Tennessee. However, Monogram Management Services Inc. is the named employer of all Monogram employees. Apart from the Chandler facility, Monogram operates and employs workers in meat-packing establishments in Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • 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.
   • Indicator 8.7.1: Proportion and number of children aged 5-17 years engaged in child labor, by sex and age group (relevant for monitoring progress towards the elimination of child labor).

Analysis

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Specifically, the article discusses the employment of children, including those operating hazardous machinery, at a meatpacking and food processing facility in Chandler, Minnesota. This is a violation of federal child labor laws and is an example of the worst forms of child labor.

The specific target under SDG 8 that can be identified based on the article’s content is 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.

The article mentions that the U.S. Department of Labor has seen a 69 percent increase in children being employed illegally by companies since 2018. This can be considered as an indicator (Indicator 8.7.1) to measure progress towards the target of eliminating child labor.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: dol.gov

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