U.S Department of Labor accuses sanitation company of hiring 31 kids to clean slaughterhouses and meatpacking facilities in "hazardous" conditions

Courtesy: U.S Department of Labor
Courtesy: U.S Department of Labor

(Lincoln, NE) -- The U.S Department of Labor is accusing a Nebraska based sanitation company of employing children to work overnight shifts in dangerous conditions in facilities across the United States. 

Court documents filed by the U.S Department of Labor say Packers Sanitation Services Inc, LTD (PSSI) - a nationwide food safety sanitation provider - is providing jobs to teenagers aged 13 to 17 who are asked to work in hazardous areas. The Department of labor says the jobs performed by the children include using "dangerous powered equipment during overnight shifts to fulfill sanitation contracts" at four different meat packing or processing plants, including two different plants located in Worthington and Marshall Minnesota. They also accuse PSSI of interfering with an investigation through through intimidation of the minor workers, telling the child workers to stop cooperating with investigators, and the deleting and manipulation of employee files held by the company. 

“The Department of Labor will use every available legal resource to protect workers – regardless of their age – and hold to account those employers who mistakenly believe they can violate the Fair Labor Standards Act, obstruct federal investigations, and retaliate against workers who assert their rights,” said Regional Solicitor of Labor Christine Heri in Chicago.

You can read the full statement released by the U.S Department of Labor by clicking here