Tyson Foods workers, activists protest child labor in US meat sector
Tyson Foods workers, activists protest child labor in US meat sector Reuters
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Tyson Foods Workers and Activists Rally for Improved Working Conditions
Oct 16 (Reuters) – Tyson Foods (TSN.N) workers and activists rallied outside the U.S. meat company’s headquarters in Arkansas on Monday to protest the industry’s use of child labor and push for improved working conditions in processing plants.
Background
Activists and the Biden Administration have pressured the U.S. meat industry to adopt safer labor policies after children hired by contractors were found doing dangerous jobs cleaning slaughterhouses.
Rally Details
- Dozens of protesters marched near Tyson’s offices in Springdale, Arkansas, with signs saying “Stop child labor” and “Let children be children.”
- They chanted “Hey hey, ho ho, exploitation’s gotta go,” according to a livestream of the event on Facebook.
Tyson, the biggest U.S. meat company by sales, had no immediate comment on the protest. The company’s code of conduct says suppliers are expected to ensure they do not use child labor.
Organizer’s Statement
Magaly Licolli, an organizer of the rally, said Tyson needs to do more to keep kids out of its supply chain.
“Tyson keeps avoiding the subject by saying that they are not hiring directly the workers,” said Licolli, the director of Venceremos, an organization that advocates for poultry workers in Arkansas.
Government Actions
The U.S. Department of Labor said in February that a major food safety sanitation company paid $1.5 million in penalties for employing more than 100 teenagers at meatpacking plants, including two Tyson facilities in Arkansas and Tennessee.
The Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division has ongoing investigations at Tyson and Perdue Farms regarding child labor in meat plants.
Additional Demands
Demonstrators at the rally also called on Tyson to slow speeds on processing lines in chicken plants, carrying a banner that read “Slow down the line, keep workers in mind.”
Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Rod Nickel
Our Standards: reuters.com
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