JBS subcontractor accused of hiring minors, violating Fair Labor Standards Act
A subcontractor for JBS, Packers Sanitation Services Inc. is accused of hiring minors to work at the meat plant, according to the U.S. Department of Labor- Wage and Hour Division.
The contractor had 4 employees younger than 18 years old working at the plant in Greeley. The investigation found children were working overnight shifts with hazardous chemicals to clean equipment including saws and splitters.
The company has been fined more than $60,000 for those workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, Packers Sanitation Services Inc. employed at least 100 children from 13 to 17 years old across the country. The Labor Department said it does not believe JBS had any knowledge the workers were underage.
Packers Sanitation Services Inc. released this statement to CBS News Colorado: We are pleased to have finalized this settlement figure as part of our previously announced December resolution with the Department of Labor (DOL) that ends their inquiry. We have been crystal clear from the start: Our company has a zero-tolerance policy against employing anyone under the age of 18 and fully shares the DOL's objective of ensuring full compliance at all locations.
As soon as we became aware of the DOL's allegations, we conducted multiple additional audits of our employee base, and hired a third-party law firm to review and help further strengthen our policies in this area. We have also conducted multiple additional trainings for hiring managers, including on spotting identity theft.
Our audits and DOL's investigation confirmed that none of the individuals DOL cited as under the age of 18 work for the company today, and many had separated from employment with PSSI multiple years ago. The DOL has also not identified any managers aware of improper conduct that are currently employed by PSSI.
While we already have industry-leading procedures to help prevent identity theft – including mandatory use of the government's E-Verify system for new hires, extensive training, multiple audits, and biometrics – we are fully committed to working with DOL to make additional improvements to enforce our prohibition of employing anyone under the age of 18.