Packers Sanitation Services illegal employment of children

An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor showed that more than 100 children had been working illegally for Packers Sanitation Services Inc (PSSI), a slaughterhouse cleaning firm owned by Blackstone Inc., an American alternative investment management company, across the United States.

[1][2][3] According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a federal investigation discovered that Wisconsin-based PSSI hired at minimum 102 children aged 13 to 17 to perform nighttime shifts at 13 meat production sites in eight states.

According to the Labor Department, the minors PSSI employed had worked at facilities run by significant meat producers, including Tyson Foods.

According to Jessica Looman, the principal deputy administrator of the department's wage and hour division, "The child labor violations in this case were systemic and reached across eight states, and clearly indicate a corporate-wide failure by Packers Sanitation Services at all levels.

[5] A child aged 14 who worked at a Nebraska facility from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. five to six days a week from December 2021 to April 2022 cleaned machinery "used to cut meat," according to court filings.