Slaughterhouse cleaning company employed children: How hiring went wrong | 60 Minutes 

Stealing someone’s childhood is one of the most heinous crimes possible, like a slaughter house is any place for a child.

$1.5M is 1% of cash on hand? That fine wasn't even a slap on the wrist. The punishment DOES NOT fit the crime.

To say that they didn't know is the best indictment of all. That's what every guilty party says when they have no defense. For common people, ignorance is not an allowable defense.

I just read this year 8 bills were introduced to weaken child labor restrictions in the midwest - Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas and South Dakota. This is crazy! Upton Sinclairs' book "The Jungle" is as relevant today as ever!

As a former packinghouse worker and workers' rights advocate, this does not surprise me.

Change or enforce the laws so actual managers or owners can go to jail for child abuse. The Legislature could help.

The company and supervisors also need some actual jail time. It’s not fair they get to buy their way out of punishment when the parents are in jail. The parents who were clearly poor and desperate enough to do this. Absolutely ridiculous how punishment is different based on income in this country.

Better hold those managers and supervisors responsible. They hired those kids and im sure they were interviewed for the job.

Thank you to the teacher at the middle school for saying something!!! You saved all those children!! I hope they are prosecuted!!!

It all about cheap labor! It not about hard work, but pay and profits.

This is terrible and inexcusable in this society. I feel for the children and parents who feel the need to send them to work. I had a job when I was 14 working in a Chinese restaurant getting paid under the table. I didn’t know it was wrong but I did make good money for a kid. I can not imagine working overnight as these children are. I am hopeful that this story will help these children.

When they start putting these people in jail this will stop. Fines result in higher prices and doesn't affect companies at all.

$1.5m is literally the equivalent of cleaning out Pennies in the couch to this company 😂

I was from a extremely poor family and also got my first job at 13 years old. This was in the late 70's and the money I was able to earn helped our family. While unfortunate I totally understand why these parents allowed there children to work. Life is not always fair but to condemn people without knowing the situation also is unfair.

my dad worked for pssi in fort worth Texas 5 years ago, and the manager of the plant paid less then what they actually make , and he wanted them to pay for clothes, boots, gloves, and more

Completely heartbreaking. That poor woman who broke down during the interview. We need to do better.

The only concern from the government and companies is they got caught...Merica Where we don't ask what's behind the curtain just make sure the job is done and the investors are happy.

Nothing ever happen to big corporations and the powerful in the US!

Who are these monsters hiring children, then robbing them of their paychecks? Animals

How did a 14 year old show up for work and everyone is just like ok, lets do this...

FYI: The video forgot to mention information like this Several states allow minors as young as 12 years old to work in certain types of agricultural jobs. These states include: Arkansas Georgia Iowa Louisiana Minnesota Missouri North Dakota South Dakota Texas Wisconsin There are several states that allow minors as young as 13 years old to work in certain types of jobs, but the specific rules and regulations can vary by state and by the type of work being performed. Here are a few examples: Alaska: Minors as young as 13 can work in most jobs with the consent of a parent or guardian and a work permit. Arizona: Minors as young as 14 can work in non-hazardous jobs with a work permit. However, minors as young as 12 can work in agricultural jobs with a work permit and parental consent. Georgia: Minors as young as 12 can work in certain types of agricultural jobs with parental consent and a work permit. Iowa: Minors as young as 14 can work in non-hazardous jobs with parental consent and a work permit. However, minors as young as 12 can work in agricultural jobs with parental consent and a work permit. Kentucky: Minors as young as 14 can work in most jobs with parental consent and a work permit. However, minors as young as 12 can work in agricultural jobs with parental consent and a work permit. North Carolina: Minors as young as 14 can work in most jobs with parental consent and a work permit. However, minors as young as 12 can work in agricultural jobs with parental consent and a work permit. Wisconsin: Minors as young as 14 can work in most jobs with a work permit. However, minors as young as 12 can work in certain types of agricultural jobs with parental consent and a work permit. It's important to note that these are just a few examples, and the specific rules and regulations can vary by state and by the type of work being performed. If you have specific questions about the employment of minors in your state, you should consult your state's labor department or department of education for more information.

This is very sad that families are so hard up in America that they send their kids to work overnight to clean slaughterhouses with acids

This is what deregulation and dismantling of gov oversight agencies looks like. Btw what was the hourly wage for this type of work?

When I was 14 I got my first job, but I had to apply for my workers permit first with the department of labor. My employer had to fill out the permit and I had to return the form the part meant. I retained a copy and gave a copy to my employer. I couldn’t work before 8am or past 8pm. I was limited to 25 hours a week until 16. When I turned 16 I couldn’t work past 12am and limited to 35 hours a week but other than that no permit was required. Then obviously once turning 18 no restrictions. I’m confused as to what would have changed? This was only 20 years ago… by the way, I didn’t hide the fact I was 14 or 16.

Blaming the parents is BS, hold the company accountable.

The company should be in deeper trouble than this.

First of all the largest investment firm is BlackRock, Blackstone is a completely different investment firm. Also the larger question we need to ask is why the kids felt the need to work? Because life is too expensive because PSSI was paying the same rate so it wasn't cheaper labor. We as a country need to figure out how to give livable wages to families. Also on a side note i too did work at a factory at 13-17 in the summers for extra spending money.

People also driver semi trucks at night without a CDL. I’m in the trucking industry and have met a few illegal drivers.

This is 100% truth. On my shift there was one who was rushed out a side door at the start of a shift, this was in Barron WI at the Jennie-O plant.

We can stop this by not staffing companies to hire temporary workers.

Slaughterhouses are such a sad thing.

I worked for this company for 7 years and work with plenty of teens

Where are the company supervisor? They should be held accountable.

It makes me wonder about the quality of the food that they are producing! If they can not fill the space with adults, how is that meat being treated and processed!!!???🤨🤨🤨

I’m an Independent Latino. Yes this is happening, I believe it. Lackadaisical Parents/Guardians/Caregivers permit children to work there. Find the Parents/ Guardians/ Caregivers and extra fine the companies specially with hazardous chemicals environments. Children abuse, this children abuse, no matter what.

Not just one company.

Greed is a terrible thing

.Those corporations need to be stripped of their money and shut down! Parents are severely punished making their lives even more difficult and the companies get a slap on the wrist as usual. Republicans have already passed child labor laws that lowered the hiring age. Money over safety apparently matters more than children!

Age of ignorance 😠😫

One of them was a green hat a trainer who trained new hires it takes a degree of dedication to work your way up to a green hat

Why aren't any co-workers of these kids raising any alarms?

PSSI was the cleaning company for them. They should have been shut down for good and employers arrested.

Heres the big problem everything is way too expensive and its forcing familys to have there children make extra money. So tired of these big companies needing to make millions up on millions of dollars to be so called successful. While here we are living on 30 to 40 thousand per year.

OF COURSE Blackstone owns PSSI

Poor children they shouldn't have to go through that.

Were is the jail time, for management?

This is so infuriating.

For the people complaining about open borders, do the jobs that the people who risk their lives to cross are willing to do and the problem will solve itself.

Child protective services needs to be called on this company for child abuse

Blackstone & PSSI should get sued for 2 trillion dollars!

Where’s the story that focuses on WHY there are children in our country who need jobs? In the land of plenty there should be a better way.

I'm not sure that sending the parents to jail was the answer. It just makes them and their families more desperate for ways to make money in order to survive. Anything to avoid improving social services I supposed.

The root problem is that these families need help and arent getting it, all of these kids families felt like they needed their kids to work to get by because the American government is failing them.

Late stage capitalism.

Companies will lie about anything if it will save them money, but still get the work done.

And in 2023 Republicans are changing laws to allow this

Its sad that now these kids have lost theyre parents cause of working at these places.

Pssi and the companies pay a fine. The woman who investigated the crime gets a promotion and the government collects the fine $. The children and families get punished too by losing their jobs and probably get sent back to their country. What a great end result. And that's not even a big fine for such a massive company

They damn well know they're breaking the law, and they don't care. As long as they meet their quotas and profit margins it's all good. The investors, CEO, all the top executives and under the table bribes must be paid no matter what. Laws be damned, just pay the fine and keep going.

Waynes farms and CINRAM in Alabama used to hire kids, my classmates would go work what they called the school boy shift, the weekend overnight shift.

Didn’t Sara Huckabee just legalize child labor in Arkansas? Yes

They have just killed off source of income for these hardcore poor kids. I'm sure they are now so grateful to their savior for starving them and their families.

Kraftheinz in Otay mesa Ca uses a company called select staffing to hire employees and they hire illegals from Tijuana and most of them cross every day because that have visitor visas and they work their

My dad was an owner operator for McDonald’s and would only hirer illegal immigrants so they could be paid less, these people always worked until overtime kicked in and I never really thought much of it. I think this event and my dad’s are how businesses try to cut cost.

How do I get my kids an APPLICATION??? We have a cruise to save up for!!!

Just so everyone knows, In every state in the USA, It is legal for a person aged 12 to work on any agricultural farm with parents consent. I'm guessing that is not extend to the butchering industry.

When I was in Delaware it was illegal Haitians in a chicken factory.

Nothing at all wrong with minors working. With that said, it should be done legally and have no negative impact on school.

Wait, this is America. We point at other countries while we ignore our own problems.

Uhh...it's gonna be the norm. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds just passed a bill that will allow 15yr olds to work in places like that and serve alcohol. And Iowa has a lot of places like this....hog, chicken, beef.

Republican job creators who hire children should be jailed .

Hey that took OSHA certification, the kids got a full-on hazmat suit on.

Farm labor-law has carveouts to allow kids as young as 14 to work on farms (and for below minimum wage, I might add). We are all modern-day slaves, and the new "plantation owners" are the wealthiest 1% reaping the benefits from our broken bodies. Actually it's more like the "indentured servitude" days: we keep working away, but the bills never seems to be paid, further perpetuating endless labor. It's whack.

There are some kids about to get off work this morning at a Hello Fresh location here in Illinois.

Who makes the child sized hard hats and hazmat gear??

As much as you all want to blame these companies, remember, these kids didn't go out and find these jobs. It was their parents *taking* them to job sites. This entire failure starts with the parents forcing their kids to work.

It's always been this way why is anyone surprised . Now how do those families survive .

Parents were mainly the blame.

Imprison the parents. That would be a good first start.

Funny part is our grandparents said they worked at cow slaughter houses and loved the money

How about the parents pay 1% of thier cash on hand?

As a child laborer? If I didn't have those dairies 2 work growing up? We might've starved. Careful whatcha wish 4! I ❤ y'all

Parents should be held responsible as well.

Shame on parents/guardians as well as the company

I am in my 50s, and a 2nd gen immigrant. I started working at age 10 in our family business. This was the norm in our family, it helped me to be who I am today and have a strong work ethics. I’ve always had more than one job, and would bring my children with me to help finish the job quicker. I’m not saying it’s the right thing to do, but without the entire family working how would we survive? Thankfully, both of my children have gone on to graduate from university, and have much better income than I could have ever dreamed of. So hopefully the cycle is broken. Just remember you can’t judge others until you’ve walked in their shoes.

Parents have to be culpable more than the company that hired the children. What kind of parents are these? 102 kids?

It's good to see kids with a strong work ethic for a change.

Making money is an action. Keeping money is behavior. Growing money is knowledge.

They should be doing the cleaning themselves stop letting them sub contract it out to avoid punishment sue them

What is more troubling is the fact that state legislatures are pushing to legalize these activities rather than cracking down on them, with the help of perfectly legal political contributions from private industry.

Great job America, you fail again! Corporate America’s step-by-step business playbook - 1. Make money at the expense of others misfortune. 2. Become too big to fail, and make too much money so you do not have to pay your fair share of taxes. 3. No oversight into how your business is run, and layer your business within so many other businesses to keep plausible deniability. 4. Ignore all problems and bad business practices within your company so you have no accountability, then deny & deflect all facts about your bad business practices. 5. Settle without being held accountable for your actions, paying a fine so low that you will recoup your losses in less then 24 hours. 6. No comment from any CEO, or business owners. 7. Make sure you crush any small business that may make a profit, even if they do better business then yourself. 8. Repeat steps 1-7

PSSI and Blackstone should be ashamed of themselves. But where were the kids parents letting them go to work in these dangerous places until early in the morning?

we live in such an unnatural and dissociated world... to willingly put children in factories this is unconscionable. this is not ok. for matters like this, settling out of court should be against the law. what a disgrace

To be honest. There is nothing wrong with teenager's working. There should be rules and regulations. During school day's. They can work part-time. In the summertime. They can work full-time. You can't let teenager's work full-time during school. They need their education. It should be balance. I understand. Some households are below the poverty level. Teenager's have to work to support themselves. Let them work at summer youth camps. At summer youth camps, teenager's and adults work with smaller children with daily activities. Adults don't want to work because of the pay. The minimum wage in these states is $7.50 an hour. Bring up the minimum wage for the adults. Instead of hiring undocumented teenager's. Both Democratic and republicans need to fix this child labor law. Nobody isn't winning. I blame the bosses as well. These bosses know the teenager's situations. Some of these teenager's came from low income neighborhoods and their parents or guardians are trying to make ends meet. The bosses will offer them a job. The teenager's will believe that they are going to get paid. When the teenager's finished working, the bosses ain't going to pay them. If the bosses decides to pay the teenager's, the payment is low. It's a scam run by multi-billion dollar conglomerates.

PSSI received a slap on the wrist and JBS that had to of known what was going on received zero punishment. These government officials tasked with protecting children should be ashamed of themselves. Somewhere It will happen again.

Exploitation of workers inside of the United States is appalling. Exploitation of children is unforgivable!! Lock up the CEO’s and the management and send them kids back to school While you’re at it pay your workers a living wage and won’t have to exploit children

Who in their right mind would assign CHILDREN to clean a slaughter house????? I hope the afterlife for the owners of the business (and those task to find a way to clean the slaughter house) is a perpetual task of cleaning a slaughter house!! It’s just cruel and inhumane for children to have to even know about such an environment!

Investigate the LDS church for child labor

Umm... When I was 13, my parents knew where I was all night: in bed. Why were so many children's parents letting their kids out at night to do anything? The parents deliberately endanger their children by fraud and its all about a corporation being responsible? What about parents not endangering their children? Why were the parents allowed to keep custody of their children whom they were clearly exploiting to gain adult wages? How many adult incomes do these parents need? My parents raised six kids on one salary: my dad's. Our neighbors raised 12 kids on one salary: the dad's (a fireman). The *parents* forced the children. The companies involved did not kidnap anyone. They were lied to. And since they paid kids and adults equally, they might even have been trying to help the families rather than exploit them or get them arrested for child endangerment and abuse.

What a great solution sent the parent to jail And the kids to fuster care Bravo to the system that is killing the meaning of a family .