Perdue Farms Will Pay $4 Million After Child Labor Violations
The young workers were permitted to use hazardous equipment during work hours.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Jan 17, 2025
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has reached agreements with Perdue Farms Inc. and staffing agency SMX LLC to resolve child labor violations at a poultry processing facility in Accomac, Virginia.
According to a recent release, Perdue will pay $4 million in restitution and $150,000 in civil penalties, while SMX agreed to a $125,000 penalty and will be permanently barred from further violations in meat processing and packing industries. Since 2020, Perdue and SMX employed minors in hazardous roles involving electric knives and heat-sealing equipment, DOL investigators found.
Additionally, the companies allowed children to work past legal hours during school weeks. And Perdue breached the FLSA’s “hot goods” provision by distributing products produced under conditions that involved illegal child labor. These practices violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) child labor and hazardous occupation rules.
“The Department of Labor has and will use all available tools to address child labor exploitation,” Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman said in a statement.
“Government, industry, workers and advocates must come together to build solutions to the problem of exploitative child labor. The department’s work uncovering a systemic disregard for the safety of children resulted in meaningful commitments to stop and prevent child labor exploitation.”
As part of the settlement, Perdue and SMX will enforce stricter compliance measures, including banning workers under 18 in certain roles, mandatory child labor law training and establishing a tip line for reporting violations. Employees are also protected from retaliation for reporting concerns.
Perdue Farms, headquartered in Maryland, operates as Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness. SMX is a subsidiary of TrueBlue, one of the largest U.S. staffing firms.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.