Mar-Jac Poultry, an Alabama-based poultry plant operator, is reportedly facing legal scrutiny following allegations of employing minors in hazardous roles. Court filings indicate that the Wage and Hour Division identified “oppressive child labor,” during a recent raid at the facility, with underage workers allegedly found in operations involving poultry slaughter and carcass cutting.
Under Investigation: Minors on the Kill Floor
Earlier this month, investigators executing a civil search warrant reported finding at least five minors “working on the killing floor, hanging live chickens on hooks for slaughter and cutting meat from the carcasses.” Court documents further reveal that these children had been employed at the facility for months. Despite protests from the Wage Hour Division, it is alleged that the defendant, Mar-Jac Poultry, continued operations and product removal from the site even post the search warrant execution.
However, the company has issued a denial of these allegations, claiming ignorance of minors’ presence in the workforce. Asserting that all its hired employees provided documentation indicating they were aged over 18 years, Mar-Jac Poultry insists they had no reason to suspect any violations.
Child Labor Laws and Mar-Jac Poultry’s Defense
The company further argued that the supposed underage workers were not engaged in kill-floor operations, which is a hazardous occupation restricted to adults under federal child-labor laws. Instead, they were allegedly handling poultry in other areas. Mar-Jac Poultry is committed to vigorously defending itself in this matter, promising to comply with all relevant labor laws in continuation of their operations.
Alleged Consequences of Shutdown
Following the discovery of alleged child labor, the Department of Labor moved for a court order to halt the sale and shipment of “poultry tainted by oppressive child labor.” Mar-Jac Poultry warned that temporary shutdown consequences would be severe, leading to over 1,000 layoffs and resulting in “seismic economic consequences on the community.”
A Tragic Echo: The Death of Duvan Perez
These allegations come on the back of a tragic incident at a Mar-Jac facility last year, where a 16-year-old worker, Duvan Perez, lost his life while servicing a poultry processing machine. Deemed by federal regulators as a “preventable, dangerous situation” that should never have occurred, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration served the company with 14 serious and three “other than serious” violations. The resultant proposed penalties for Perez’s death stand at $212,646.
Perez’s mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Mar-Jac and two employees, as well as against the hiring agency. She claims these defendants acted “intentionally, willfully, wantonly, knowingly, with malice and were grossly negligent” towards the safety of her son and others in a similar situation.
As it stands, a decision regarding the potential blocking of sale and shipment of Mar-Jac Poultry products is yet to be made by a judge. Regardless, the allegations and resulting investigation emphasize the importance of stringent adherence to labor laws, particularly concerning minors in the workforce.