Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, urging her to investigate Tyson Foods in light of new whistleblower allegations of illegal child labor practices at the company. His letter notifying Secretary Chavez-DeRemer of the whistleblower comes after she previously promised in her confirmation hearing that she would crack down on companies exploiting children.
In the letter, Senator Hawley wrote, “As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, I have been contacted by a whistleblower who alleges that Tyson Foods used child workers at one of its processing plants—in likely violation of federal child labor law. I have opened an investigation in my Subcommittee. Given your role in enforcing federal labor law, I urge you to fully investigate these troubling allegations immediately.”
He continued, “The whistleblower, a former Tyson Foods employee who oversaw plant safety, alleges that they personally witnessed underage workers and also received multiple reports from hourly Tyson employees about child workers in the plant. According to the allegations, these child workers were employed by a third-party entity contracted by Tyson for work in the plant.”
Senator Hawley concluded, “In your confirmation hearing, you testified: ‘Child labor should not be accepted by anybody in America. The Department of Labor has the enforcement capability to double down if [companies] are knowingly breaking the law and exploiting children in their factories.’ I agree. We cannot allow children to continue to be exploited in the name of corporate profits. I therefore urge you to investigate all allegations regarding Tyson’s illicit child labor practices, including these new whistleblower allegations.”
Senator Hawley has been a staunch advocate against child exploitation, from launching his full-scale investigation into Tyson Foods to introducing bipartisan legislation to bar federal contracts from going to companies with histories of child labor abuses.
Read his full letter here or below.
The Honorable Lori Chavez-DeRemer
Secretary
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20210
Secretary Chavez-DeRemer,
As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, I have been contacted by a whistleblower who alleges that Tyson Foods used child workers at one of its processing plants—in likely violation of federal child labor law. I have opened an investigation in my Subcommittee. Given your role in enforcing federal labor law, I urge you to fully investigate these troubling allegations immediately.
The whistleblower, a former Tyson Foods employee who oversaw plant safety, alleges that they personally witnessed underage workers and also received multiple reports from hourly Tyson employees about child workers in the plant. According to the allegations, these child workers were employed by a third-party entity contracted by Tyson for work in the plant.
After reporting concerns to company superiors about child workers employed at the plant, the whistleblower was subjected to retaliation and a “toxic work environment.” Due to the toxic work environment, the whistleblower quit. Tyson is now pursuing legal action against them related to their departure from the company.
This is outrageous. As you know, the New York Times has published a series of investigative reports detailing the experiences of children working in poultry processing plants, including Tyson’s. The reports document, among other things, how Tyson purposely uses subcontractors to avoid punishment for illegally employing children. As a result, Tyson has successfully avoided all liability and culpability for its clear violations of child labor laws.
In your confirmation hearing, you testified: “Child labor should not be accepted by anybody in America. The Department of Labor has the enforcement capability to double down if [companies] are knowingly breaking the law and exploiting children in their factories.” I agree. We cannot allow children to continue to be exploited in the name of corporate profits. I therefore urge you to investigate all allegations regarding Tyson’s illicit child labor practices, including these new whistleblower allegations.
Please keep my Subcommittee updated on the status of your investigation.
Sincerely,
Josh Hawley
United States Senator