% DeMURI.
% THANKS VERY MUCH.
% >> MY PLEASURE.
% THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> IN NOVEMBER, WE REPORTED ON
% AN INVESTIGATION INTO CHILD
% LABOR VIOLATIONS BY
% WISCONSIN-BASED COMPANY, PACKERS
% SANITATION SERVICES.
% IN FEBRUARY, THE U.S. DEPARTMENT
% OF LABOR REPORTED MORE THAN 100
% CHILDREN WERE WORKING ILLEGALLY
% FOR THE COMPANY ACROSS EIGHT
% STATES.
% THE MINORS WERE WORKING
% OVERNIGHT SHIFTS AS WELL AS
% WORKING WITH HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
% AND DANGEROUS MEAT PROCESSING
% EQUIPMENT.
% THE 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS IN
% PENALTIES TO BE PAID BY THE
% COMPANY MAKES IT ONE OF THE
% LARGEST CHILD LABOR CASES IN THE
% DEPARTMENT'S HISTORY.
% CHILD LABOR HAS INCREASED BY
% NEARLY 70% SINCE 2018, LEADING
% TO A CALL FOR INCREASED
% PENALTIES AND OTHER MEASURES TO
% CURB ILLEGAL CHILD LABOR.
% WE GO NOW TO MICHAEL LAZZERI,
% THE REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR OF
% THE WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION AT
% THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.
% THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO ACCORDING TO DATA FROM
% YOUR AGENCY, WISCONSIN HAS THE
% SECOND MOST CHILD LABOR
% VIOLATIONS OF OUR SURROUNDING
% STATES, AVERAGING ABOUT 99 PER
% YEAR SINCE 2018.
% ONLY MICHIGAN WAS HIGHER.
% WHY HAS CHILD LABOR EXPLODED ON
% THE NATIONAL LEVEL?
% >> OUR FOCUS IS ALWAYS TO
% IDENTIFY INSTANCES WHERE
% EMPLOYERS ARE EXPLOITING
% VULNERABLE WORKERS.
% KIDS ARE VULNERABLE UNDER ANY
% CIRCUMSTANCE.
% THEY'RE FRIGHTENED TO COMPLAIN,
% THEY'RE AFRAID OF LETTING THEIR
% FAMILIES AND THEIR COMMUNITIES
% DOWN AND, HONESTLY, THEY THEY
% THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN TROUBLE,
% AND THAT VULNERABILITY
% TRANSLATES TO THEM BEING MORE
% PRONE TO INJURIES IN THE
% WORKPLACE, AND IN SETTINGS THAT
% ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS, LIKE A
% MANUFACTURING FACILITY OR A MEAT
% PROCESSING PLANT.
% THOSE VULNERABILITIES ARE EVEN
% FURTHER AMPLIFIED.
% >> BUT WE DO KNOW THAT THE
% NUMBER OF UNACCOMPANIED MINORS
% ENTERING THE UNITED STATES
% CLIMBED TO A HIGH OF 130,000
% LAST YEAR, THREE TIMES WHAT IT
% WAS FIVE YEARS EARLIER.
% IS THAT A DEM GRAPHIC OF
% CHILDREN THAT IS BEING EXPLOITED
% AND THE RESULT OF THESE CHILD
% LABOR LAW VIOLATIONS, MIGRANTS
% COMING IN?
% >> WELL, ONE THING I CAN SAY IS
% THAT EXPLOITATION IS
% EXPLOITATION, REGARDLESS OF WHO
% THE CHILD IS AND WHAT THEIR
% BACKGROUND IS, AND WHEN WE ARE
% LOOKING AT INVESTIGATIONS, OUR
% PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO LOOK AT
% WHO THE EMPLOYER IS AND WHO THE
% EMPLOYEE IS, SO WE LOOK AT IT
% NOT WITH A BLIND EYE, BUT NEW
% NEUTRALLY.
% WE DON'T ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT
% STATUS OR BACKGROUND.
% WE DO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT
% THE CHILD IS IN A SAFE
% ENVIRONMENT AND WE ARE TRAINED
% TO IDENTIFY INSTANCES OF
% TRAFFICLING, IF THAT'S
% APPROPRIATE.
% HOWEVER, IT'S NOT OUR PRIMARY
% PURPOSE.% WE INVESTIGATE THE
CHILD LABOR
% STANDARDS WITH THE FAIR LABOR
% STANDARDS ACT AND THAT ACT
% DEFINES THE EMPLOYEE AND THE
% EMPLOYER WITHOUT REGARD TO
% STATUS OR BACKGROUND.
% >> IN YOUR MIND, COULD THE
% NUMBER OF VIOLATIONS ACTUALLY BE
% UNDERCOUNTED?
% >> I HAVE NO DOUBT.
% ACROSS 10 STATES IN THE MIDWEST,
% WE HAVE LESS THAN 150
% INVESTIGATORS THAT ARE COVERING
% HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
% EMPLOYERS OVER HUNDREDS OF
% THOUSANDS OF MILES AND WE DO
% EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO TARGET
% INDUSTRIES THAT ARE MOST LIKELY
% TO EMPLOY MINORS AND WE DO A
% SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF OUTREACH
% TO COMMUNITIES, TO EMPLOYERS, TO
% SCHOOLS, AND WE RECEIVE A LOT OF
% INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLIC AND
% FROM THE COMMUNITY AND WE HAVE
% AN OBLIGATION TO ACT ON THAT
% INFORMATION VERY QUICKLY, BUT
% WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH
% INDUSTRIES THAT ARE BEHIND WALLS
% AND FENCES, THE PUBLIC CAN'T SEE
% THEM, AND THEY CAN'T SEE WHAT'S
% HAPPENING INSIDE THOSE FOUR
% WALLS.%AND SO IT REQUIRES A L
OT MORE
% WORK FOR US AND, YOU KNOW, WE
% RELY ON THE PUBLIC AND WE RELY
% ON EMPLOYERS AND WE DO OUR BEST
% TO TARGET INVESTIGATIONS AS WELL
% INTO CERTAIN INDUSTRIES WHERE WE
% THINK THERE ARE GOING TO BE
% KIDS, BUT WITH LESS THAN 150
% INVESTIGATORS, THERE'S ONLY SO
% MUCH GROUND WE CAN COVER.
% >> GIVEN THE INDUSTRIAL MIX, HOW
% FERTILE IS A STATE LIKE
% WISCONSIN FOR CHILD LABOR
% VIOLATIONS?
% >> WELL, I THINK ACROSS THE
% MIDWEST, THE SITUATION IS
% ESPECIALLY DIRE WHEN YOU'RE
% TALKING ABOUT MANUFACTURING,
% WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE
% TYPES OF INDUSTRIES.
% MEAT PROCESSING, WHERE WE WERE
% JUST DOING INVESTIGATION OF
% P.S.S.I., YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED
% ACROSS MULTIPLE STATES, NOT JUST
% ACROSS THE MIDWEST, BUT ACROSS
% THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, BUT THE
% GREATER CONCENTRATION OF PLANTS
% THAT WE SAW WAS DEFINITELY HERE.
% >> WHAT KINDS OF JOBS ARE MINORS
% WORKING AND WHAT KIND OF HOURS?
% >> GENERALLY, I THINK IT'S
% IMPORTANT TO MAKE A DISTINCTION
% BETWEEN CHILD LABOR, WHICH WE
% TYPICALLY SEE, WHICH IS IN, FOR
% EXAMPLE, IN FAST FOOD, WHERE
% YOUR ISSUES WITH MINORS WOULD BE
% KIND OF CONFINED TO HOURS
% WORKED, USE OF EQUIPMENT, SO IF
% THEY'RE WORKING PAST 9:00 DURING
% A SCHOOL NIGHT OR DURING THE
% WEEK OR THEY'RE WORKING TOO MANY
% HOURS, THAT'S ONE TYPE OF
% VIOLATION.%WHEN YOU'RE TALKIN
G ABOUT
% MANUFACTURING AND SOME OF THESE
% OTHER INDUSTRIES, NOW YOU'RE
% TALKING ABOUT THE TYPES OF
% EQUIPMENT THAT MINORS ARE USING,
% AND SO FOR EVEN 16,
% 17-YEAR-OLDS, THEY'RE PROHIBITED
% FROM USING OR CLEANING THINGS
% LIKE A HEAD SPLITTER, BONE SAWS,
% EQUIPMENT THAT COULD CAUSE
% SERIOUS INJURY, THEY CAN'T
% USE -- THEY CAN'T BE DOING
% CONSTRUCTION.
% ROOFING.
% THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
% SO I THINK IT JUST DEPENDS ON
% WHICH TYPE OF CHILD LABOR WE'RE
% TALKING ABOUT, THE TYPE THAT WE
% TYPICALLY SEE OR THE MORE
% RECENTLY, WHICH IS CONFINED TO
% VERY DANGEROUS TYPES OF WORK.
% >> WHAT DO YOU TO COMPANIES
% EMPLOYING CHILDREN IN VIOLATION
% OF THE LAW?
% >> WELL, IT'S THEIR
% RESPONSIBILITY AS AN EMPLOYER
% WHEN THEY'RE HIRING OR EVEN
% BRINGING IN STAFFING AGENCIES,
% SO PUT WORKERS IN THEIR
% FACTORIES OR IN THEIR
% FACILITIES, IT'S REALLY UP TO
% THEM TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY.
% I MEAN, WE LOOKED AT P.S.S.I.
% AND WE LOOKED AT THE TYPES OF
% MINORS OR THE NUMBER OF MINORS
% THAT WERE BEING EMPLOYED ACROSS
% THE COUNTRY AND YOU SEE PICTURES
% OF THESE KIDS AND THERE IS NO
% WAY A REASONABLE PERSON WOULD
% LOOK AT THESE KIDS AND SAY THAT
% THAT IS A 30-YEAR OLD OR
% SOMEBODY WHO IS OVER 18, EVEN IN
% THEIR 20s.
% SO EMPLOYERS HAVE TO NOT RELY
% ON, YOU KNOW -- THEY HAVE TO BE
% ABLE TO SEE WHAT THESE AND BE
% ABLE TO TAKE ACTION TO BE ABLE
% TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE MINORS
% ARE NOT BEING EMPLOYED IN
% DANGEROUS WORK.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% MICHAEL LAZZERI FROM THE U.S.
% DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, THANK YOU