In a severe crackdown on child labor violations, US Department of Labor (DOL) has obliged two Los Angeles County businesses to forfeit over $390,000 for impermissibly employing and endangering minors. According to a DOL news release, A&J Meats and The Right Hire staffing agency were found to have flouted federal child labor regulations by assigning juveniles to operate sharp tools, work in freezers, and exceed legal working hours.
The enforcement comes alongside a federal court's consent judgment requiring the entities to relinquish $327,484 in profits gained through activities involving oppressive child labor. The judgment also imposes a $62,516 penalty on the businesses. "A&J Meats and The Right Hire knowingly endangered these children’s safety and put their companies’ profits before the well-being of these minors,” Western Regional Solicitor of Labor Marc Pilotin stated, as reported by KTLA. The DOL accuses the businesses of having minors work over three hours on school days, past 7 p.m., and in excess of 18 hours during weeks when school was in session.
Further terms of the judgment include mandatory Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) training for the businesses and their leadership, and an independent monitoring for a duration of three years. These corrective measures follow a history of similar misconduct from A&J owner Priscilla Helen Castillo and her father, Tony Bran, who were previously implicated in unsafe child labor practices across multiple poultry processing companies.
Officials stress the gravity of the issue. "No employer should ever profit from exploited children,” said Ruben Rosalez, Wage and Hour Division Regional Administrator. Rosalez's statement supports a broader commitment by the DOL to curtail child labor abuses, especially within the poultry and meat processing industry. Through the consent judgment, A&J Meats, Priscilla Helen Castillo, and The Right Hire are forbidden from future FLSA violations and from trafficking goods produced under oppressive child labor conditions.
The DOL encourages business oversight regarding supply chain practices to prevent the purchase and sale of goods produced via unlawful child labor. It provides resources and tools for businesses and workers to aid compliance with labor laws and offers a confidential hotline for inquiries in over 200 languages. For questions or possible workplace violations, individuals can call the DOL at 1-866-4-US-WAGE (487-9243).
