A Minnesota food manufacturer agreed to comply with federal child labor laws at all of its facilities and warehouses following an investigation that found two teens operating meat-processing equipment.
The U.S. District Court of Minnesota entered a consent order and judgment in the case on July 6, 2023, with Monogram Food Solutions LLC agreeing to comply with the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Monogram agreed to comply with the provisions at all of its production facilities and warehouses nationwide and promised to ensure future compliance by hiring an outside compliance specialist within 90 days.
The company also agreed to pay a $30,276 fine for the March 28, 2023, child labor violations involving the two teen workers at the Chandler, Minnesota facility.
‘Hot goods’ from illegal child labor were prevented from shipping
An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division found that Monogram employed a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old to operate meat-processing equipment at the Chandler facility. Allowing teen workers to operate meat-processing equipment, which is considered a hazardous occupation, is a violation of the child labor provisions of the FLSA.
Shortly after the investigation that discovered this violation, the Wage and Hour Division notified Monogram that it “objected to the shipment of goods from its Chandler facility and issued an ‘Objection to Shipment letter’ that cited” the FLSA’s “hot goods” provision. This provision prevents employers from shipping good produced illegally by child labor.
On April 24, 2023, Monogram agreed to the Wage and Hour Division request and withheld shipment of the goods as discussions about compliance continued.
The Wage and Hour Division lifted its objection to shipment immediately after the court order and judgment was executed and the company paid the fine.
This investigation was part of the DOL’s effort to combat child labor violations that was announced earlier in 2023. Since 2018, the DOL has seen a 69% increase in children being employed illegally by companies.
