Tennessee company fined nearly $650K for illegally hiring minors to clean slaughterhouses

Article Title

Sustainable Development Goals and Child Labor Violations in the US

A Tennessee-based cleaning company has agreed to pay nearly $650,000 in civil penalties after federal investigators found the company employed at least 24 children at two slaughtering and meatpacking facilities, the U.S. Department of Labor announced.

A federal court in Iowa approved a consent order and judgment Monday with Fayette Janitorial Service LLC, which requires the company to pay $649,304 in civil penalties, the Labor Department said in a news release. The company must also hire a third party to implement company policies to prevent the illegal employment of children and create a program for reporting concerns about child labor violations.

Children worked on overnight shifts to clean killing floor

Fayette Janitorial, which is headquartered in Somerville, Tennessee, employed dozens of children at Seaboard Triumph Foods LLC in Iowa and Perdue Farms in Virginia, according to the Labor Department.

According to a federal complaint, department’s investigation “found that Fayette employs minors under the age of 18 whose job is to clean the killing floor.” In the complaint, the department says the company employed 15 children in Virginia and at least nine children in Iowa on its overnight sanitation shifts.

Recent child labor violations in the U.S.

In recent years, federal authorities have been cracking down on child labor violations across the country, promising to hold employers accountable.

1. In March, a Tennessee parts supplier was fined for illegally employing children as young as 14 in dangerous jobs and subjecting them to “oppressive child labor.”
2. In the same month, a Baskin-Robbins franchisee in Utah was fined for allowing 64 employees ages 14 to 15 “to work too late in the day and too many hours in a week while school was in session at eight locations,” the Labor Department said.
3. Federal investigators said in January that inadequate safety standards at a poultry processing plant in Mississippi led to the death of a 16-year-old sanitation worker.
4. A Southern California poultry processor and several related poultry companies, which supplied grocers including Aldi and Ralphs, agreed to pay $3.8 million last December for violations including illegally employing children as young as 14 to debone poultry with sharp knifes and operate power-driven lifts to move pallets.
5. In May 2023, three McDonald’s franchisees with a combined 62 restaurants in Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland and Ohio paid fines totaling more than $212,000 after the Labor Department charged them with violating the labor rights of 305 minors, including two 10-year-olds who were not paid.
6. A Wisconsin company paid a $1.5 million fine in February 2023 after the Labor Department found it employed 102 minors ages 13 to 17 in “hazardous occupations” at 13 meat processing facilities in eight states.

Contributing: Keenan Thomas and Mike Snider

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The issues highlighted in the article are related to child labor violations, which are connected to SDG 8 and SDG 16. SDG 8 aims to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. SDG 16 focuses on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.

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

• 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.
• Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

The article highlights the violation of child labor laws, which aligns with Target 8.7 of SDG 8. This target specifically addresses the eradication of forced labor, modern slavery, human trafficking, and the worst forms of child labor. Additionally, the article mentions the endangerment and exploitation of children in hazardous occupations, which relates to Target 16.2 of SDG 16. This target aims to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking, violence, and torture against children.

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

• Indicator 8.7.1: Proportion and number of children aged 5-17 years engaged in child labor, by sex and age group.
• Indicator 16.2.2: Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age group, and form of exploitation.

The article does not explicitly mention any indicators, but the identified targets can be measured using the following indicators. Indicator 8.7.1 measures the proportion and number of children aged 5-17 years engaged in child labor, providing insights into the prevalence and extent of child labor violations. Indicator 16.2.2 measures the number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, which includes children who may be trafficked for various forms of exploitation, including labor.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Fuente: usatoday.com

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