Child labor violation allegations at Perdue, Tyson spark federal investigations
An eighth-grader hurt while working in a Perdue poultry plant prompted both federal authorities and the Salisbury-based company to open investigations into child labor practices at its facilities.
A New York Times article earlier this month detailed the experience of Marcos Cux, a 14-year-old boy originally from Guatemala, whose arm was seriously injured in a conveyer belt while sanitizing a Perdue facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia last year. He was hired at 13 by Tennessee-based cleaning contractor Fayette Industrial, which worked in the facility, according to the reporting.
“There are currently U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigations open at Perdue and Tyson Foods,” said Joanna Hawkins, a spokesperson for the department, in an email. The Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, which also operates a plant on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, has also had cleaning contractors come under federal scrutiny, according to the New York Times reporting.
Tyson Foods did not respond to a request for comment by the time this article was submitted. Fayette Industrial, the Perdue contractor, which according to the reporting hired the teenager, did not address a question regarding how many total employees they had working in Perdue facilities.
"Fayette is currently unaware of any Department of Labor investigations and has not been contacted by the DOL," said a spokesperson for Fayette Janitorial Services, in an email. "We have no record of Marcos Cux ever being employed by Fayette."
More: Perdue employees announce plans to unionize following wage, workplace safety grievances
Perdue responds to federal investigation
Perdue spokesperson Andrea Staub said Cux was never a Perdue employee. She said the company plans to “cooperate fully with any government inquiry on this matter.”
She also noted the company is “conducting a comprehensive third-party audit of child labor prevention and protection procedures including a compliance audit of contractors.”
“We will take appropriate actions based on the findings of that investigation,” Staub said in an email.
Nationwide, child labor violations have risen in recent years
The investigations proceed as the federal Labor Department has found more than a doubling nationwide of minors employed in violation of child labor laws in the past five years. In 2017, there were 1,609 minors employed in violation. In 2022, that number had grown to 3,876 children, including 688 minors found in hazardous occupation violations.
“Kids under 18 cannot do most jobs in meat and poultry slaughtering, processing, rendering or packing establishments,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor website.
A list of requirements for employers dealing with minors as employees has been published on the U.S. Department of Labor website. A complaint can be filed online or via phone at 866-4USWAGE (866-487-9243).
More: McDonald’s operator violated child labor laws but Maryland restaurants weren't cited
Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Investigations opened to address alleged child labor at Perdue, Tyson
