According to the World Socialist Web Site, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has fined The Exclusive Poultry Inc., a Californian poultry processor, $3.8 million for illegally employing and endangering children, cutting wages, and firing workers who cooperated with investigators.

A DOL report details the violations committed by the poultry company:

“The Exclusive Poultry and their associated companies willfully failed to pay required overtime wages to their employees, even when they worked 50 or 60 hours per week… [Tony] Bran (company founder) directed employees under 18 years-old to use sharp knives to debone and cut poultry and employed children to work longer and at times not permitted by the law. They also directed minors to work in prohibited facilities and failed to pay overtime wages, all in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act [FLSA].

The poultry business was also accused of blackmailing workers based on immigration status using intimidation and retaliation against any employee who wished to exercise their rights under the FLSA by,

“telling employees that communication with the Acting Secretary will result in immigration or other legal action against them, and otherwise deterring employees from cooperating with or speaking to the acting secretary’s representatives through threats, bribes or intimidation.”

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