Iowa
Sanitation contractor for Sioux City pork plant fined for using child labor
Labor Department introduces new measures to prevent child labor
The U.S. Labor Department has introduced new measures to crack down on child labor in the wake of an increased investigations.
Straight Arrow News
For the second time in less than a year, a sanitation contractor for Seaboard Triumph Foods LLC in Sioux City was found to employ children doing dangerous work at the pork processing plant.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa approved a consent order and judgment Nov. 27 with Qvest LLC. Under terms of the agreement, Qvest must pay $171,919 in child labor civil money penalties, hire a third-party to review and implement company policies to prevent the employment of children and establish a process for reporting concerns about the illegal employment of children.
In an emailed statement, Seaboard Triumph Foods (STF) said that none of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) filings included their company. It said it has not contracted with Qvest, “who had express contractual requirements to follow all labor laws,” for more than a year.
“STF did not employ any of the alleged individuals and has no evidence that any underage individuals accessed the plant,” the statement said.
The statement, which quotes former head of DOL’s Wage and Hour Division and current Seaboard counsel Paul DeCamp, also pointed out that employers across the country are struggling with the problem of people, including minors, being able to obtain jobs through fraudulent identification documents sophisticated enough to fool even the federal government’s E-Verify system.
“Businesses are victimized by this fraud,” DeCamp said in the statement.
“Safety, ethical practices and compliance with regulations and industry standards are of paramount importance to STF. We expect the same from our vendors and partners, and we will not tolerate any vendor’s use of underage labor within our facility, and will also take measures to prevent fraud against our company,” the statement said.
Qvest did not respond to emails seeking comment.
Federal law forbids children under age 18 from being employed in dangerous jobs common in meat and poultry slaughtering, processing, rendering and packing operations.
A DOL investigation determined that 11 children had been employed during the night shift and were using corrosive cleaners to clean head splitters, jaw pullers, bandsaws, neck clippers and other equipment within the facility. The DOL did not provide ages of the child workers.
Earlier this year, the federal court levied nearly $650,000 in penalties against Fayette Janitorial Services of Somerville, Tennessee, after hiring 24 children, some as young as 13, to clean dangerous equipment at Seaboard Triumph.
Seaboard Triumph announced in February it was cancelling its contracts with Fayette after the DOL investigation found the children working in the plant and sought a court injunction to stop it. Fayette had taken over the sanitation duties from Qvest in September 2023 and rehired some of the children that Qvest previously employed, according to a DOL new release.
Seaboard Triumph contracted with Qvest for cleaning services from 2019 until September 2023, when it hired Fayette.
JBS USA announced in April 2023 that it would start its own sanitation service at its meatpacking facilities including Marshalltown, cutting ties with Packers Sanitation Services, Inc., (PSSI) after it admitted employing approximately 100 children at several JBS plants throughout the Midwest and was fined $1.5 million.
PSSI admitted having workers ages 13 to 17 clean 13 slaughterhouses, although none were in Iowa.
“The U.S. Department of Labor is determined to end the illegal employment of children in our nation’s workplaces,” DOL regional solicitor Christine Z. Heri said in a news release. “We are committed to using all strategies to stop and prevent unlawful child labor and holding all employers legally responsible for their actions. Children should never be hired to perform dangerous and prohibited tasks.”
In fiscal year 2024, the DOL concluded 736 investigations uncovering child labor violations that affected 4,030 children, and assessed employers more than $15.1 million in penalties for violating federal child labor laws, an 89 percent increase since 2023.
Kevin Baskins covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at kbaskins@registermedia.com.
The National Weather Service is urging Johnson County residents to prepare for the possibility of large hail, strong winds and tornadoes on Wednesday morning.
A lot of uncertainty remains about the nature of the storm.
Here’s what to know:
First round of storms to move through overnight
A storm system is first set to move through the area overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday.
The National Weather Service in the Quad Cities is forecasting a level one severe weather threat, the second-lowest on their scale. These storms will feature lightning and the possibility of hail that may disrupt the morning commute.
The first set of storms is expected to hit the area by 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
Second round of storms could bring hail, tornadoes
A second set of storms is forecast to roll through eastern Iowa, including the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids metros, during the day on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service has given the second system a level two rating out of five, noting that it could produce hail, wind and tornadoes. However, “a high degree of uncertainty” remains with regard to the strength, severity and widespread nature of the storms. They are expected to develop and impact the area between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Maximum wind gusts are forecasted to reach 35-40 miles per hour.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
Do you live on Benton St near Riverside?Are you feeding outdoor cats or know someone who does? If so please contact me!!
I manage a very large cat colony in Iowa City and we are working hard to get them all sterilized and the population under control. Many cats have been hit by cars on these streets and we try our best to keep them away from the busy roads. Feeding them so near to that busy road is drawing them towards danger and away from their little safety nook in a neighborhood nearby.
I appreciate any information you have, thank you!
Miller Orchard
Neighbor
0d ago
Aaliyah Guyton ready to do whatever Iowa women’s basketball needs after success vs. Northwestern
Aaliyah Guyton ready to do whatever Iowa women’s basketball needs after success vs. Northwestern
Iowa women’s basketball freshman Aaliyah Guyton has entered the transfer portal, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Register on Monday.
A top-100 prospect in the 2024 class, Guyton finished the year appearing in 29 games with one start — while averaging 16.4 minutes and 4.7 points per game.
Much like Iowa’s season as a team, Guyton’s freshman campaign was a seesawing one. She entered coming off a torn ACL suffered during her senior season at Peoria High School. However, once Guyton jumped into action on Nov. 24 against Washington State, it didn’t take long before she was a main piece in Jan Jensen’s rotation.
Guyton had 11 points in 24 minutes with Lucy Olsen out to propel Iowa past BYU in the Cancun Challenge. Nine points in 20 minutes arrived against Purdue early in Big Ten play. Guyton made her lone start of the year on Jan. 9 at Illinois and was lauded as a key voice during Iowa’s five-game losing streak. Fourteen points in 26 minutes against Nebraska — then 15 in 31 minutes versus Northwestern three games later — emphasized that value.
Even when Olsen fully found her footing as Iowa’s most reliable offensive option during the back half of Big Ten play, Guyton’s playing time didn’t fall off the map. She remained a key on-ball defender that Jensen regularly deployed early off the bench. But Guyton’s offensive contributions soon took a hard nosedive.
The freshman shot just 25% from the field (14-for-57) and 22% from deep (7-for-32) over Iowa’s final 13 games. Guyton piled up 24 turnovers in that same stretch.
Assuming Guyton doesn’t eventually remove her name from the portal, Iowa now has three open scholarships to work with for next season. The Hawkeyes had 14 of the maximum 15 in use this year and will gain another with three coming in (Addie Deal, Journey Houston, Layla Hays) and four going out (Lucy Olsen, Sydney Affolter, Addison O’Grady, A.J. Ediger).
Jensen talked repeatedly after Iowa’s season-ending loss at Oklahoma about how the Hawkeyes will be a player in the portal this offseason. This move allows for more potential activity.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
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