Vivinavi : Washington DC : (United States) Washington DC

Combating child labor, identifying mine violators and recovering wages

DOL Seal [ https://www.dol.gov ]

U.S. Department of Labor



"January 16, 2025"



Workers wearing PPE are packaging raw meat products on an assembly line. [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250113 ]



Largest U.S. meat processor enters $4M agreement to combat child labor [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250113 ]

The department has entered into an agreement with JBS USA Food Co. [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250113 ] in which the nation’s leading meat packing processor and slaughterhouse will provide $4 million to prevent illegal child labor and support victims of the practice nationwide. The Jan. 13 agreement commits JBS to holding its supply chain, third-party contractors and service providers accountable for illegal child labor. In fiscal year 2024, department investigators found more than 4,000 illegally employed children.



Poultry workers wearing PPE on a poultry processing line.



Meat and poultry companies urged to make worker safety a ‘first principle’

The latest findings in the USDA’s report on worker safety in poultry and swine plants show that injuries, including chronic pain and musculoskeletal disorders, are too common. These kinds of injuries often go unreported. 


* Read about the findings from the USDA on worker safety in poultry and swine plants  [ https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/publications/poultry-processing-line-speed-evaluation-study-pulse ]
* Read Acting Labor Secretary Su's statement on the report [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20250113 ]


Employee removes large ice block from industrial ice machine [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250108 ]



$1M recovery may have chilling effect on California wage thieves [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250108 ]

Seventy workers at California ice manufacturers in San Diego and Lake Elsinore will receive their share of $527,687 in back wages [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250108 ] and an equal amount in damages recovered by Wage and Hour Division investigators who determined the companies’ common ownership deliberately withheld overtime workers earned. Investigators learned many regularly worked an average of 16 hours of unpaid overtime each week.



Two workers wearing safety vests and helmets survey an outdoor mining operation. [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/msha/msha20250110 ]



Chronic violators and operators who disregard miners’ safety and health identified [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/msha/msha20250110 ]

MSHA released the second Pattern of Violations screening in 2024 [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/msha/msha20250110 ]. In the past two years, violations at 200 mines with the most significant and substantial violations have decreased 15 percent. These screenings help MSHA improve safety compliance and are a critical tool to protect the nation’s miners and rein in chronic violators.



Folders with the label Employees and Salaries.



Wages recovered at home and beyond

Read the success stories of how the Wage and Hour Division and the Bureau of International Labor Affairs stood up to recover back wages and much more for workers both domestically and abroad. 


* We sued a Wichita adult gentlemen’s club to recover wages for 80 dancers  [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/sol/sol20250113#:~:text=WICHITA%2C%20KS%20%E2%80%93%20The%20U.S.%20Department,required%20them%20to%20reimburse%20the ]
* A Mexican manufacturer will pay bonuses and back wages and rehire two fired workers [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ilab/ilab20250110 ]


Picture of Iqbal Masih, namesake of the annual award [ https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/issues/child-labor/iqbal ]



Nominate a hero today! [ https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/issues/child-labor/iqbal ]

Each year, the department awards the Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor [ https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/issues/child-labor/iqbal ]to recognize extraordinary efforts by an individual, company, organization or national government in reducing the worst forms of child labor. Established in 2008 by Congress, the award honors Masih, a Pakistani child sold into slavery at age four to work as a carpet weaver. After escaping at age 10, Masih became an outspoken public advocate against child exploitation. Two years later in his native Pakistan, he was killed tragically. Nominations must be submitted by Feb. 21.



An older Black woman in professional dress looks at the camera while holding a marker.



The effects of the gender wage gap

The Women’s Bureau’s recent analysis of the gender wage gap reveals that women – especially older women – throughout the U.S. are dealing with the negative effects of earning less over time, including: 


* An exploration of the wage gap for older women [ https://blog.dol.gov/2025/01/08/from-coast-to-coast-the-gender-wage-gap-is-worse-for-older-women ] 
* The gender wage gap since the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009  [ https://blog.dol.gov/2025/01/13/the-gender-wage-gap-16-years-after-the-ledbetter-act ]
* How to improve women's retirement security [ https://blog.dol.gov/2025/01/13/how-to-improve-womens-retirement-security-in-2025 ]


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT



Older man in a baseball cap sits on a sidewalk under a small tree, next to a cart with belongings and has a large white cardboard sign that reads “one of many homeless veterans.” [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/vets/vets20250115 ]



Supporting veterans [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/vets/vets20250115 ]

We’ve made $17 million available to help organizations combat homelessness among military veterans [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/vets/vets20250115 ] with employment services.

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Workers sort peaches at farm warehouse [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250107 ]



Locating workers owed wages [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250107 ]

The department is trying to locate 617 temporary agricultural workers owed their share of $132,308 [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250107 ] recovered from Titan Fruit & Vegetable Co. Inc., a South Carolina employer.

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Healthcare workers wearing PPE walking down a hallway. [ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/15/2025-00632/occupational-exposure-to-covid-19-in-healthcare-settings ]



OSHA infectious disease rule [ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/15/2025-00632/occupational-exposure-to-covid-19-in-healthcare-settings ]

OSHA has stopped its COVID-19 rulemaking [ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/15/2025-00632/occupational-exposure-to-covid-19-in-healthcare-settings ] to focus on adopting a rulemaking standard that better protects healthcare workers from exposure to many different infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

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Worker used high pressure water spray cleaning conveyor belt in chicken meat process. [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250115 ]



Fighting child labor abuses [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250115 ]

Perdue Farms Inc. and cleaning company settle child labor violations [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20250115 ] after investigations at a Virginia poultry processing facility.

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FOA Funding Opportunity Announcement. [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20250113 ]



Job training grants available [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20250113 ]

At least $25 million in grants are available to support organizations that provide training and employment services [ https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20250113 ] to incarcerated people before and after their release.

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A woman with dark hair sits by a window, holding a baby in her lap. [ https://blog.dol.gov/2025/01/07/four-years-of-progress-for-working-women ]



Four years of progress [ https://blog.dol.gov/2025/01/07/four-years-of-progress-for-working-women ]

A Wage and Hour Division employee reflects on the department’s progress in supporting working under the Biden-Harris administration [ https://blog.dol.gov/2025/01/07/four-years-of-progress-for-working-women ].

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DATA SPOTLIGHT



December 2024: +256,000 jobs added. 4.1% unemployment rate. BLS | dol.gov [ https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm ]



Strong labor close for 2024 [ https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm ]

The U.S. economy added 256,000 jobs last month. The December 2024 gains include growth in health care, retail, government and social assistance. Check out the highlights from the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. [ https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm ]



POST OF THE WEEK



Are you prepared to protect yourself and your team from cold stress? ??️?? As temperatures drop, workers face many winter weather hazards. Watch for shivering, numbness, fatigue or confusion. If you notice these signs, act quickly! Learn more ???? https://lnkd.in/gPPmhadX [ https://www.osha.gov/winter-weather/cold-stress ] 

-OSHA LinkedIn [ https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7283102968990580736 ]



IN THE NEWS




* *Daily Reporter*: OSHA penalties increase in 2025 [ https://dailyreporter.com/2025/01/14/osha-penalties-2025-construction-safety/ ] 
* *HR DIVE*: Leading meat processor will pay $4M to counter illegal child labor practices  [ https://www.hrdive.com/news/jbs-usa-dol-child-labor-agreement/737314/ ]
* *WHYY-FM 90.9 Philadelphia*: Final Employment Reports of Joe Biden’s Presidency Showed Surprisingly Strong Job Market  [ https://api.criticalmention.com/app/#/clip/slim/74737a3a-bc9a-483d-88d4-e19c948f37c0 ]
* *My Buckhannon*: WVU engineer enhances mining safety with augmented reality training  [ https://www.mybuckhannon.com/wvu-engineer-enhances-mining-safety-with-augmented-reality-training/ ]
* *Pittsburgh Post-Gazette*: The future of dairy: How a state apprenticeship program is training workers and boosting small businesses  [ https://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2025/01/12/dairy-apprenticeship-program-pennsylvania-berks-county-milk/stories/202501120037 ]
* *CBS News*: South Carolina peach grower took money from farmworkers' pay for political donations, feds say  [ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-titan-farms-used-farmworkers-pay-for-political-donations/ ]
* *KAKE-TV ABC 10 Wichita*: Labor department sues Wichita gentlemen’s club to recover back wages, damages for 80 dancers  [ https://www.kake.com/home/labor-department-sues-wichita-gentlemen-s-club-to-recover-back-wages-damages-for-80-dancers/article_57ac0328-d1ef-11ef-9e5a-7b33ba005336.html ]
* *Working Nation*: Women in the workforce are making strides, but there is still work to do [ https://www.workingnation.com/women-in-the-workforce/ ]

 

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