P.M. BRIEFING : 7,000 Children Found in Jobs That Violate Child Labor Laws
A three-day nationwide investigation found 7,000 minors allegedly working in violation of the nation’s child labor law, Labor Secretary Elizabeth Hanford Dole said today.
Most of the alleged violations involved minors aged 14 and 15 working too many hours or 16- and 17-year-olds working at hazardous jobs, Dole said.
The investigation, called Operation Child Watch, is expected to result in more than $1.8 million in civil fines.
“The cop is on the beat. Violations, whether motivated by greed or by ignorance, will not be tolerated,” Dole said at a news conference.
About 500 federal investigators conducted more than 3,400 investigations during the three-day investigation.
Dole said that of the 3,400 businesses visited, about 1,400 or 43% were in apparent violation of child labor practices.
Of the 7,000 minors, more than 900 were working in dangerous jobs, Dole said. Most of the violations occurred in service industries such as fast-food restaurants, donut shops, grocery stores and bakeries.
She declined to name any of the firms since investigations are ongoing but said many of the violations involved children working on dangerous equipment such as meat slicers and paper-baling machines at grocery stores.
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