All articles tagged with #child labor
The U.S. government is investigating claims of child labor violations at a subsidiary of HelloFresh, a meal-kit delivery company. The investigation aims to determine whether the company has breached labor laws by employing underage workers.
The U.S. Department of Labor is investigating HelloFresh for allegedly employing migrant children at its Illinois facility, with at least six teenagers reportedly working night shifts. The investigation also targets Midway Staffing, the agency responsible for hiring these workers. HelloFresh has terminated its relationship with the staffing agency and emphasized its zero-tolerance policy for child labor. This case is part of a broader issue of underage migrant labor in hazardous jobs across various industries in the U.S.
An investigation has revealed that children were employed in hazardous conditions at a slaughterhouse in Iowa, working dangerous shifts in violation of labor laws. The inquiry highlights significant breaches in child labor regulations, raising concerns about the enforcement of these laws and the safety of young workers in the industry.
A cleaning company, Qvest LLC, has been fined $171,000 after federal investigators discovered 11 children working illegal and dangerous overnight shifts at a meat processing plant in Iowa. The children were tasked with cleaning hazardous equipment at the Seaboard Triumph Foods facility, violating U.S. laws prohibiting minors from working in meat processing. This incident follows a similar case earlier this year involving another contractor at the same facility. Qvest is required to overhaul its employment policies and establish a whistleblower system. The U.S. Labor Department has reported a significant increase in child labor violations, with over 4,000 cases found in the past year.
The US Department of Labor has filed a complaint against Hyundai and two Alabama companies for employing a 13-year-old child in an assembly plant. The investigation revealed the child worked 50-60 hours per week operating machines for auto parts. The complaint names Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama LLC, SMART Alabama LLC, and Best Practice Service, LLC, alleging they willfully violated child labor laws.
The U.S. Department of Labor is suing Hyundai Motor Co., SMART Alabama, and Best Practice Service for allegedly employing a 13-year-old girl on an assembly line in Alabama. The complaint seeks to hold Hyundai accountable for child labor violations at its subsidiary and staffing agency, marking the first time the Labor Department has sued a major company for such violations at a subcontractor. Hyundai denies liability and has taken measures to ensure compliance with labor laws.
The U.S. Labor Department has filed a lawsuit against Hyundai, a supplier, and a staffing company for employing a 13-year-old girl and other children at an auto parts assembly line in Alabama, accusing Hyundai of violating child labor laws. Hyundai denies responsibility, claiming the Labor Department's legal theory is unprecedented and unfair.
The U.S. Department of Labor has sued Hyundai to prevent the use of illegal child labor in its Alabama supply chain, specifically targeting the automaker and its supplier, SMART Alabama, for employing a 13-year-old in hazardous conditions. The lawsuit marks a significant move by the Biden administration to hold major companies accountable for child labor violations, amid a surge in such cases across the U.S. due to labor shortages and increased immigration.
The U.S. Department of Labor has sued Hyundai Motor Co, an auto parts plant, and a labor recruiter for using child labor in Alabama. The lawsuit seeks to recover profits related to the illegal employment of children, some as young as 12, at a Hyundai subsidiary and other parts suppliers. The Labor Department's investigation found that a 13-year-old worked up to 60 hours a week at a plant supplying parts to Hyundai. Hyundai claims it no longer owns the subsidiary and has taken steps to address the issue. The case highlights a broader problem of child labor violations in the U.S.
A Tennessee factory, Tuff Torq, has been ordered to pay nearly $2 million for employing immigrant teenagers as young as 14 in "oppressive child labor," with violations including the use of dangerous machinery. The Labor Department's investigation resulted in a $296,000 fine and a $1.5 million fund for the benefit of the children. Tuff Torq claims the underage employees were temporary workers hired through a third-party staffing company and is taking steps to strengthen labor practices.
Immigrant children as young as 14 were discovered working illegally at a Tennessee factory that produces lawn mower parts, resulting in a nearly $300,000 fine for the company, Tuff Torq. The children were found working amid dangerous heavy equipment, and the company has been required to set aside $1.5 million to assist the children. The Labor Department emphasized that companies profiting from unlawfully employing children in hazardous occupations will face significant financial consequences, and Tuff Torq has agreed to disgorge profits for the benefit of the children. The company claims the child workers were temporary and not hired directly, and is transitioning away from doing business with the staffing company involved.
Immigrant children as young as 14 were discovered working illegally at a Tennessee factory, Tuff Torq, which produces lawn mower parts for companies like John Deere. The company was fined nearly $300,000 and required to set aside $1.5 million to assist the children. The Labor Department emphasized that putting children in dangerous workplaces is illegal and comes with significant financial consequences. Tuff Torq's general counsel acknowledged the violations and stated that the child workers were temporary and not hired directly by the company. The Labor Department has prioritized child labor enforcement, with a 152% increase in illegally employed children since 2018.
A New York Times and Fuller Project investigation has revealed that the sugar industry in Maharashtra, India, has been fueled by a brutal system of labor that exploits children and leads to the unnecessary sterilization of working-age women. Young girls are pushed into illegal child marriages to work in the sugar cane fields, where they are trapped in debt bondage and subjected to forced hysterectomies, even for routine ailments. This exploitative cycle perpetuates their financial entrapment and ensures their return to the fields, leading to lasting health consequences and defining such arrangements as forced labor by workers' rights groups and the United Nations labor agency.
The booming demand for açaí berries has led to an increase in child labor in Brazil, with children as young as 13 climbing 70-foot-high trees to harvest the fruit, exposing themselves to dangerous conditions including venomous snakes and jaguars. The industry's growth has transformed a once local trade into an international operation, putting pressure on communities that rely on açaí for economic survival. Authorities are facing challenges in policing these hard-to-reach areas, but efforts are being made to investigate and address child labor in regions like the Marajó archipelago and the coastline of Amapá.
A US appeals court ruled that major tech companies, including Apple, Alphabet, Dell, Microsoft, and Tesla, do not have to compensate victims of forced child labor in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The court dismissed the lawsuit, stating that purchasing cobalt through the global supply chain does not constitute "participation in a venture" under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. The plaintiffs alleged that the tech companies were aware of and participated in a venture with their cobalt suppliers who engaged in forced labor, but the court ruled that there was no shared enterprise between the companies and the suppliers.