The company, Tuff Torq, was fined nearly $300,000 for hiring 10 children. It must also set aside $1.5 million to help the immigrant minors who were illegally employed.
The company, Tuff Torq, was fined nearly $300,000 for hiring 10 children. It must also set aside $1.5 million to help the immigrant minors who were illegally employed.
Immigrant children as young as 14 were found working illegally amid dangerous heavy equipment at a Tennessee firm that makes parts for lawn mowers sold by John Deere and other companies, according to Labor Department officials.
The company, Tuff Torq, was fined nearly $300,000 for hiring 10 children. As part of a consent agreement with the federal government, the company is also required to set aside $1.5 million to help the children who were illegally employed. Ryan Pott, general counsel for Tuff Torq’s majority owner, the Japanese firm Yanmar, acknowledged the violations to NBC News.
"The Labor Department has prioritized child labor enforcement since last spring amid a 152% increase in children found to be illegally employed since 2018, according to department figures."
$300k is a joke. Every manager should be in prison and the factory should be nationalized. Keep the legit (adult) employees there, and transition the business to worker ownership.
Do that a few times and you’ll see some changes in how businesses behave.
I'm sure Tennessee law makers will be sure to rectify this soon - they'll go ahead and loosen child labor laws more and more so their benefactors remain happy.
“Pott, the general counsel for Tuff Torq’s majority owner, said the child workers were temporary and were not hired directly by Tuff Torq. He said they used fake names and false credentials to obtain jobs through a temporary staffing agency, and said Tuff Torq is ‘transitioning’ away from doing business with the staffing company.” They’re just passing the blame now that they got caught; otherwise, I’m sure they’d continue to turn a blind eye.
Imagine how insanely productive kids must be at repetitive tasks. And it's not like they have been exposed to the labour struggles, they'll have to figure it out all of that on their own.
Just think of all the valuable work experience these children are missing out on due to the nanny state! /s (the actual thought of rightwing ghouls).
The reason businesses and right wingers are so pro border enforcement is so they can abuse children like this. Threaten deportation and you don't have to follow labor laws.
they lied about their age... the corporation's HR dept really screwed the pooch but it's probably difficult to perform background checks on people who are illegally entering the country.