Poultry enterprise in California to pay $4.8M after employing children to work with sharp knives
Poultry enterprise in California to pay $4.8M after employing children to work with sharp knives ABC News
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The Owners of California Poultry Processors Ordered to Pay $4.8 Million in Back Wages and Damages
The owners and operators of a network of California poultry processors and distributors were ordered to pay $4.8 million in back wages and damages and to give up $1 million in profits after a Department of Labor investigation found the owners illegally employed children as young as 14 to work dangerous jobs.
Investigation Reveals Illegal Employment of Children
The investigation by the Department of Labor’s Wage and House Division involving A1 Meat Solutions, JRC Culinary Group, Moon Poultry, and five other businesses alleged that the enterprise employed children in dangerous conditions, including using sharp knives to debone poultry.
Violations of Labor Laws
Additionally, investigators found that the employers and their associates denied poultry workers and packers overtime wages and falsified payroll records to obstruct the probe, the DOL said. Supervisors at the employers’ facilities also allegedly retaliated against workers once the investigation began in January 2024, calling them derogatory slurs and changing terms of employment, investigators said.
Significant Wage Settlement
The wage settlement is one of the largest ever reached for U.S. poultry workers, the DOL said in a statement.
Impact on Sustainable Development Goals
The illegal employment of children and the violations of labor laws highlighted in this case directly contradict several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals include SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, which aims to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and SDG 4: Quality Education, which emphasizes the importance of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all children.
Remedial Measures and Penalties
The consent order signed by a federal judge also demands the employers “give up $1 million in profits earned from the sale of goods tainted by oppressive child labor and pay assessed penalties of $171,919 for their child labor violations,” the federal agency said. The owners of the companies agreed to strong remedial measures to ensure future compliance, the Labor Department said.
Preventing Child Labor
Cases of child labor violations are a significant concern, and efforts must be made to prevent and eradicate such practices. The Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 8 and SDG 4, provide a framework for promoting decent work and quality education, which are essential in eliminating child labor.
Conclusion
The discovery of “oppressive” child labor permanently rendered the goods at these facilities “as contraband that [was] forbidden from entering commerce,” the agency added. Last year, the Labor Department investigated 955 cases of child labor violations, involving 5,792 children nationwide, including 502 children employed in violation of hazardous occupation standards.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
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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 to the issue of illegal employment of children).
Analysis
The article highlights the issue of illegal employment of children as young as 14 in dangerous jobs in California poultry processors. This issue is directly connected to SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, specifically Target 8.7, which aims to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and eliminate the worst forms of child labor.
Based on the article’s content, the specific target under SDG 8.7 that can be identified is to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate child labor in dangerous conditions.
The article mentions the use of sharp knives to debone poultry as one of the dangerous conditions in which children were employed. This can be used as an indicator (Indicator 8.7.1) to measure progress towards the target, specifically the proportion and number of children aged 5-17 years engaged in child labor in dangerous conditions.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| 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 to the issue of illegal employment of children). |
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Fuente: abcnews.go.com
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