A whistleblower has come forward accusing Tyson Foods of using illegal child labor in one of their processing plants. US Senator Josh Hawley is now calling on Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to launch a formal investigation into the company reports AG Daily.  

Put your money where your mouth is  

During her confirmation hearing, Secretary Chavez-DeRemer stated her commitment to aggressively target companies exploiting children.  

Secretary Chavez-DeRemer has said, 

“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.” 

Now Sen. Hawley is calling on her to make good on that promise due to allegations by a former safety official at Tyson who claims they personally observed underage workers at the plant.  

In his letter to the Secretary Sen. Hawley said, 

“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 urge you to fully investigate these troubling allegations immediately.” 

Sen. Hawley is currently serving as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime. Due to the same allegations, the subcommittee itself has already opened an investigation. Sen. Hawley is now asking Secretary Chavez-DeRemer to also take up an investigation at the federal level.  

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