A recently exposed settlement between Wal-Mart and the Department of Labor (DOL) provides a sweetheart deal for child labor violations by the world’s largest and richest corporation—and one of the biggest political campaign donors in the country.
The deal, agreed to in early January, requires Wal-Mart to pay a nominal federal fine of $135,540 for child labor violations in which 85 minors operated hazardous equipment at stores in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Arkansas. But the deal gets even sweeter for Wal-Mart because the DOL agreed to give the company 15 days’ notice before conducting any further investigation of company violations.
Sign the petition to end the use of children in hazardous jobs at Wal-Mart: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/childlabor/u8sdx32v7bji73
Wal-Mart had the minors operating cardboard balers and chainsaws—among other dangerous equipment—which are the most dangerous pieces of machinery in the retail industry. Maiming, amputations, and death are not uncommon occurrences for workers who operate balers.
A former Labor Department investigator, Karen Dulaney Smith, said in a Washington Post story that in the past, the DOL rarely notified companies in advance of an investigation.
The 15-day advance notice of DOL inspections rewards Wal-Mart, while other companies with no history of child labor violations are subject to unannounced inspections.
Both the Connecticut attorney general and U.S. Representative George Miller have called for an investigation of Wal-Mart's settlement.
Sign the petition to end the use of children in hazardous jobs at Wal-Mart: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/childlabor/u8sdx32v7bji73
Amending the settlement could immediately end Wal-Mart's use of children for hazardous jobs. An amended settlement requiring Wal-Mart to use distinctive employee badges for underage workers that could readily identify them as being prohibited from hazardous assignments along with unannounced DOL inspections would rapidly end Wal-Mart's use of child labor in dangerous jobs.
Sign the petition to end the use of children in hazardous jobs at Wal-Mart: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/childlabor/u8sdx32v7bji73
Wal-Mart may be the world’s largest corporation and biggest White House political contributor, but that gives the company no right to sweetheart deals and arrangements that put children at risk..
Speak up. Together we have the power to stop Wal-Mart.
Join the UFCW and the Child Labor Coalition to end the use of children in hazardous jobs at Wal-Mart. Call on Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott to amend the settlement to protect children.
Posted by UFCW 227 at February 18, 2005 10:32 AM