Owner, Managers of Iowa Meat Plant Face 9,311 Child Labor Charges
More than 9,000 misdemeanor child labor charges were filed today (PDF) by the Iowa attorney general’s office against the owner and managers of a kosher meatpacking plant in Postville that was the site of a huge immigration raid earlier this year.
The 9,311 violations involve 32 workers at Agriprocessors who allegedly were under 18, including seven who were allegedly under 16, according to the Des Moines Register and the Iowa Independent.
If proven, the charges could put the defendants in jail; all are simple misdemeanors that can be punished by a fine of between $65 and $625 and a jail term of as much as 30 days, reports the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
The charges include 3,857 alleged violations of each of two state laws that prohibit minors from working in certain industrial jobs and 790 and 677 alleged violations, respectively, of laws prohibiting minors under 16 from certain types of work and working during specified hours or an excessive number of hours, the Independent reports.
