SIOUX CITY, IA – The U.S. Department of Labor has found a second sanitation contractor at the Seaboard Triumph Foods LLC facility that employed children to perform dangerous work during overnight shifts at its Sioux City pork processing plant.
“We are committed to using all strategies to stop and prevent unlawful child labor and holding all employers legally responsible for their actions.
Provide training and materials on child labor compliance in languages understood by employees.
Establish a toll-free hotline for guidance and/or to report child labor compliance concerns anonymously.
Submit an initial compliance report and annual reports thereafter for three years to the department verifying compliance with child labor laws.
In Sioux City, Iowa, the U.S. A. At Seaboard Triumph Foods LLC’s Sioux City pork processing plant, the Department of Labor has discovered a second sanitation contractor who hired minors to do hazardous work during overnight shifts.
According to a judgment and consent order authorized by the U. S. District Court in the Northern District of Iowa on November 17. 27 2024, Qvest LLC is required to pay $171,919 in civil money penalties for child labor, hire a third party to review and implement company policies to prevent the employment of children in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and set up a procedure for reporting concerns regarding the illegal employment of children.
According to the department’s Wage and Hour Division’s investigation, which led to the judgment, the sanitation contractor in Guymon, Oklahoma, hired 11 children to clean head splitters, jaw pullers, bandsaws, neck clippers, and other equipment at the Seaboard Triumph Foods facility using corrosive cleaners between at least September 2019 and September 2023.
Fayette Janitorial Service LLC was hired by Seaboard Triumph Foods in September 2023 to perform sanitation work at its facility. Division investigators discovered that the contractor from Somerville, Tennessee, illegally employed nine children at the Sioux City pork processing facility, leading the department to enter into a consent order and judgment with Fayette in May 2024. Some of the children who had worked for Qvest were rehired by Fayette after she assumed responsibility for the sanitation services contract at the plant.
According to federal law, children under the age of eighteen are not permitted to work in hazardous jobs used in the slaughter, processing, rendering, and packing of meat and poultry.
“The U. S. “The Department of Labor is committed to putting an end to the unlawful employment of minors in our country’s workplaces,” stated Regional Solicitor Christine Z. The Heri. “We’re determined to use every tactic possible to prevent and end illegal child labor and to hold all employers accountable for their deeds.”. Never hire children to carry out prohibited or dangerous tasks. “”.
Qvest is required by the consent order and judgment to do the following in addition to paying the fines for the child labor violations.
Within ninety days, hire a third-party consultant or compliance specialist who has expertise and experience adhering to the FLSA’s child labor regulations.
Assign the compliance monitor to review company policies right away, conduct yearly training at all locations where the company operates, and keep an eye on and audit Qvest’s compliance for a minimum of three years.
Provide staff-friendly training and resources on child labor compliance in their native tongues.
Keep thorough records of every employee’s birthdate and assigned tasks.
Provide a toll-free hotline for advice and/or anonymous reporting of issues related to child labor compliance.
Take action within 60 days to make sure the business isn’t hiring any minors for FLSA-prohibited positions.
Send a first compliance report to the department, followed by yearly reports for three years to confirm adherence to child labor regulations.
Since at least September 2019, Seaboard Triumph Foods has had children working illegally in their Sioux City facility, as these findings demonstrate. Children at this facility continued to work in hazardous jobs even after sanitation contractors were changed, according to Michael Lazzeri, regional administrator for Wage and Hour Midwest.
During fiscal year 2024, the division assessed employers over $15.1 million in penalties for violating federal child labor laws, an 89 percent increase since 2023, and completed 736 investigations that found child labor violations affecting 4,030 children.
Find out more about the Wage and Hour Division, including the rules against worker under the age of 18 engaging in hazardous jobs.
866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) is the division’s toll-free helpline. Call it for more information about the FLSA and other laws the agency enforces. Employers and employees can contact the division in confidence with inquiries, and the division can communicate with callers in over 200 languages.
U. American Department of Labor v. Qvest Company.
