Mar-Jac Poultry has denied it knowingly hired minors for its Jasper, Alabama, plant, and also argued some workers were doing jobs that are not banned by federal rules.

Mar-Jac Poultry has denied it knowingly hired minors for its Jasper, Alabama, plant, and also argued some workers were doing jobs that are not banned by federal rules.

Four minors as young as 16 were allegedly discovered working overnight at an Alabama slaughterhouse owned by the same firm that was found directly responsible for the death of a 16-year-old Mississippi worker last summer, the U.S. Labor Department said in federal court filings.

The company, Mar-Jac Poultry, has denied that it knowingly hired minors for its Jasper, Alabama, facility, saying the workers had verified IDs that gave ages older than 17, and has also argued that some of the workers were performing jobs that are not prohibited by federal regulations.

The Labor Department is seeking a temporary restraining order against Mar-Jac as part of the ongoing legal dispute. Agency officials declined to comment, citing their investigation.

The Labor Department has said that most slaughterhouse work is too dangerous for minors and is prohibited by federal regulations. Under the Biden administration, the department has taken action against companies for employing minors to clean, use or work near dangerous machinery. A chicken trade group to which Mar-Jac belongs says it has “zero tolerance” for employing minors, and a major meat industry trade group also stated recently that no minors should be working in slaughterhouses.

  • psvrh@lemmy.ca
    13·
    6 months ago

    Maybe this is just me, but aren’t payroll taxes a thing? How do you “not know” someone isn’t who they say they unless you’re already paying people under the table.

    • Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world
      13·
      6 months ago

      Honestly, things like the I-9 and SS numbers are just not very secure and are only usually audited after the fact. Especially if the employer doesn’t really care to look too hard at an ID.

      The I-9 is just kept on file by the employer and only needs to be made available to ICE if requested. The only requirement of verification of identity with I-9 is the employer must examine the documents and they must reasonably appear genuine and reasonably appear to relate to the person.

      So if anybody says the I-9 is to help reduce illegal employment it’s not, it’s there to pretend to help reduce illegal employment.

      As for social security numbers. There is no security around the numbers besides just not telling people your number. The social security administration doesn’t have time or personnel to double check payroll taxes.

      Oh and lastly I’m sure the IRS secretly likes it when illegal immigrants are employed with a W-2. Illegal immigrants are never going to file their taxes they are too scared that somebody might notice. So they never get a refund it just becomes money in the bank for the government.

      Just to continue my tirade a large portion of illegal immigrants in America are gainfully employed with a W-2. They pay taxes, they pay payroll taxes, sales tax when they buy things, fuel tax when they fuel their vehicle, and vicariously property taxes from whoever they are renting from. They never use government services, they are not getting food stamps, medical assistance, temporary funds for needy families, etc, and will never get a social security payout.

      Anyway I’m going to go now before I keep typing.

    • teamevil@lemmy.world
      3·
      6 months ago

      I mean all bullshit aside these are the same type of folks who will coordinate with ICE/Border Patrol to raid their slaughter houses but make sure the raid happens AFTER the big shipment is worked. I believe this happened in NC about 7/8 years ago. Scum all of them. (The exploiters not the exploited)