01/16/2025
A top priority for the U.S. Department of Labor under this administration has been holding companies accountable that profit from child labor. Major settlements this week with JBS, Perdue Farms and QSI will provide millions in restitution to the victims and help prevent harm going forward.
We’ve entered into an agreement with JBS USA Food Co. (JBS USA) in which the company will provide $4 million to help individuals and communities affected by unlawful child labor practices nationwide. The agreement commits JBS to holding key elements of its supply chain, third-party contractors and service providers accountable for illegal child labor. They are also creating a targeted advertising campaign to raise awareness about unlawful child labor practices.
JBS will fund $4 million towards preventing illegal child labor and supporting victims of child labor nationwide while prioritizing its efforts in the communities of Guntersville, Alabama; Greeley, Colorado; Ottumwa, Iowa; Worthington, Minnesota; and Grand Island, Nebraska. The funds may provide direct assistance to affected individuals and community organizations in the form of scholarships, stipends and educational aid including assistance to community organizations to fund English as a Second Language teaching positions, literacy, job training and housing.
Since 2022, the department has investigated various third-party contractors that provide sanitation services at meat packing establishments and service providers of poultry catching operations across the U.S. These investigations discovered that JBS’s third-party service providers employed children in dangerous jobs and during overnight shifts at the company’s facilities in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska.
In fiscal year 2024, department investigators found more than 4,000 children had been employed in violation of federal child labor laws. The division continues to prioritize protecting children and currently has over 1,000 open child labor investigations.
Workers and employers can call the division confidentially with questions and the division can speak with callers in more than 200 languages at its toll-free helpline, 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).