A multiyear enforcement initiative conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), that focused on grocery stores in Iowa and Nebraska, found widespread violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) child labor provisions.
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Get Your Report Now!Since fiscal year 2011, WHD investigations have disclosed child labor violations among 28 grocery stores throughout the two states. Civil money penalties total more than $128,500.
Significant child labor violations were found in grocery stores operating under two of the largest grocery store chains in the area, according to the government news release. These violations included allowing minors to perform prohibited hazardous occupations, such as loading and/or operating power-driving paper balers, meat slicers, bakery machines, and operating a motor vehicle, in violation of the FLSA.
“The Wage and Hour Division is committed to protecting the safety and welfare of minors employed in grocery stores by conducting investigations. We continue to collaborate with stakeholders, such as the Iowa and Nebraska Grocers Association, to promote awareness and compliance with federal child labor requirements,” said Michael Staebell, the division’s district director in Des Moines.