The Labor Department reached an agreement with JBS that will see the meatpacker pay $4 million and address its compliance issues with child-labor laws.
JBS USA Food, an outpost of the Brazilian meatpacker, will provide $4 million to assist individuals and communities affected by unlawful child labor practices nationwide, the Labor Department said Monday.
Also under the agreement, JBS will ensure its supply chain, third-party contractors and service providers are held accountable for illegal child labor, and the company will create a targeted advertising campaign to raise awareness about unlawful child labor practices, according to the agency.
JBS, which admits no liability as part of the agreement, said it entered the agreement in part to set the standard for third-party contractors' compliance with labor and employment laws.
"We voluntarily took all sanitation services in-house and no longer work with third-party sanitation service providers," a company spokesperson said. "We believe the fund outlined in the agreement will provide valuable resources and assistance to support youth who need it, which is in alignment with our zero-tolerance policy for child labor."
Moving forward, the company will implement additional changes including hiring a child-labor compliance specialist, maintaining a hotline for compliance concerns to be anonymously reported, and requiring nationwide training on the prevention of illegal child labor to all third-party sanitation employers at JBS facilities and all JBS employees at meat-packing establishments, the Labor Department said.
"JBS has taken responsibility for children performing dangerous work at its facilities by proposing concrete and enforceable solutions to address those issues, setting the standard as a market leader in preventing illegal youth employment," said Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman.
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