Twelve Democratic Senators are encouraging the U.S. Department of Labor to hold companies accountable to the fullest extent of the law for serious violations of child labor laws.
After a report of large numbers of children working long hours in dangerous conditions, including in the Eastern Shore of Virginia, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia joined Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and nine Democratic colleagues in a call Tuesday to the DOL, urging Acting Secretary Julie Su to go after companies that benefit from illegal child labor by continuing to rely on contractors found liable of breaking labor laws and exploiting vulnerable children.
A report by New York Times Magazine raised concerns about the influx of unaccompanied noncitizen children working long hours in dangerous conditions, including 14-year-old Marcos Cux, whose arm was nearly torn off while working around dangerous machinery at a Perdue complex on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The DOL is also in the middle of an ongoing inquiry of Tysons.
The Senators urge the Department to consider steps to reduce such exploitation and provide vulnerable children — particularly recently arrived unaccompanied migrant children — safe and age-appropriate workforce development opportunities.
“There have been multiple reports in recent months regarding the continued use of illegal child labor across the United States. We appreciate the efforts the Biden Administration and the Department of Labor (DOL) are taking to eliminate this scourge. However, these recent reports highlight the need to take further steps to protect children from dangerous employment that could result in injury and even death,” the senators wrote.
The letter states that other labor violations often accompany child labor violations.
“A recent federal investigation found that a 17-year-old worker who fell 24 feet from the roof of a home improvement store in October 2022 was not only doing work that violated child labor laws, but that the roofing contractor had also failed to pay 30 employees their full wages and exposed other workers to dangerous fall hazards. Reports show that children are particularly vulnerable to these types of dangerous, low-paying jobs, as their adult counterparts often are able to find better pay elsewhere. Companies who have been found to exploit their workers — children or otherwise — must be monitored closely to ensure these types of egregious violations do not reoccur.”
The senators also encourage the DOL to provide means by which noncitizen youth may access safe and appropriate work opportunities.
“The Department has received funding from Congress to support programs that provide workforce development opportunities to ensure that youth have access to age-appropriate jobs and subsidized training. These programs offer opportunities for training and skills development to attain an on-ramp to quality career pathways,” the senators wrote. “However, it is often difficult for such vulnerable children to navigate our labor laws without assistance. Some may not understand laws related to applying for work permits, and may not be aware that certain jobs, such as cleaning positions in a meatpacking plant, are extremely dangerous and unlawful. We strongly encourage DOL to ensure that workforce development programs and opportunities are accessible in areas that need them most, including areas of the country where repeated child labor exploitation has occurred.”
The letter was also signed by U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.
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Rebecca Barnabi
