LINCOLN, Neb (KMTV) — A cleaning company that serves one meat packing facility in Nebraska is being accused of violating child labor laws.
Federal Judge John Gerrard of the District of Nebraska issued a temporary restraining order on the Packers Sanitation Service Inc. on Thursday.
Accused of Violating Child Labor Laws
In a 61-page affidavit, the company is accused of putting 31 employees, all under 18 in hazardous conditions at the JBS Beef Processing plant in Grand Island, Nebraska. The document states the employees were required to clean heavy and dangerous machinery on the ‘kill floor’ of the meatpacking plant, where cattle are killed and initially processed.
The floor, stairs and guardrails were described as slippery and hazardous in the court brief.
The document states they hired an employee as young as 13 years old. Another 14-year-old employee suffered chemical burns from heavy-duty cleaning supplies.
Minors 14 to 15 years old are allowed to work, but the jobs cannot be hazardous and hours are limited during the school year.
Federal law bans employers from hiring any minor under 18 for hazardous jobs.
Possible Tampering of the Investigation
The Wage and Hour Division began an investigation after a tip from local law enforcement. They toured the facility and conducted interviews.
During that investigation, investigators said they were thwarted by PSSI, with management lingering during confidential interviews with employees and even deleting or attempting to delete messages and documents the company was required to give investigators, according to documents.
The temporary restraining order bans the company from continuing to “employ oppressive child labor,” prohibits them from destroying documents or telling their employees not to cooperate and the order requires PSSI to aid prosecutors in the investigation.
PSSI is accused of these practices in two other plants in Minnesota as well.
In total, investigators said PSSI employed twelve 17-year-olds, fourteen 16-year-olds, three 15-year-olds, one 14-year-old and one 13-year-old.
The two youngest employees appear to be employed in Nebraska.
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