U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Georgia Supermarket Paying $47,115 Civil Penalty for Child Labor Violations

JONESBORO, GA – Tienda Y Carniceria La Unica 2 Inc. – a supermarket based in Jonesboro, Georgia – has paid a civil penalty of $47,115 after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the employer allowed a 16-year-old minor employee to use a power-driven meat-slicing machine in violation of federal law. The minor suffered the amputation of one finger and severe injury to another.

WHD found the employer violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s Child Labor Requirements by employing the teen to use equipment prohibited for use by workers less than 18 years old. Investigators also determined that the employer failed to maintain required time and payroll records, resulting in recordkeeping violations.

“The safety of young workers remains a priority for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Employers have a responsibility to fully understand and comply with the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act to ensure minors work in a safe environment,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Eric Williams, in Atlanta, Georgia. “We encourage employers to review child labor laws, when employing minors, and to contact us for assistance. Violations and injuries like those in this case can be avoided.”

The Department offers numerous resources to ensure employers have the tools they need to understand their responsibilities and to comply with federal law, such as online videos, confidential calls, or in-person visits to local WHD offices.

For more information about the FLSA, child labor, and other laws enforced by the WHD, contact the toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Employers who discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through the PAID program. Information is also available at https://www.dol.gov/whd.

WHD’s mission is to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the Nation's workforce. WHD enforces Federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. WHD also enforces the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, wage garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act, and a number of employment standards and worker protections as provided in several immigration related statutes. Additionally, WHD administers and enforces the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act and other statutes applicable to Federal contracts for construction and for the provision of goods and services.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.