A Chattanooga cleaning contractor has been fined $400,000 by the US Department of Labor after employing children illegally and violating the Fair Labor Standards Act.
QSI LLC, headquartered in Chattanooga, was investigated by the department’s Wage and Hour Division. They found that they were employing children on overnight sanitation shifts at 13 meat and poultry processing facilities between January of 2021 and February 2024. The alleged violations were found in the following states:
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- California
- Delaware
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Ohio
- Virginia
The agreement between the US Department of Labor and QSI LLC requires them to pay $400,000 in civil money penalties, monitor and audit policies to prevent the employment of children in dangerous jobs, and maintain a toll-free number for reporting concerns about illegal employment of children.
“The Department of Labor is determined to stop our nation’s children from being endangered in jobs for which they should never be hired and to leverage our enforcement work to affect industries,” said Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda. “With this agreement, QSI is taking responsibility for its historical practices, agreeing to continue its enhanced compliance procedures at all of its work locations.”
Additionally, the agreement requires QSI LLC to do the following:
- Re-survey all of its work locations to determine if any employees are under the age of 18
- Review and evaluate child labor compliance training materials for managers
- Maintain accurate records of all employees, including date of birth and work tasks assigned
- Incorporate an anti-child labor provision in its third-party contracts and attach Fact Sheet #43 on Child Labor in Non-Agriculture Occupations to all contracts for its services
- Maintain a toll-free hotline number for people to seek guidance and/or to report child labor compliance concerns anonymously
“The safety of young workers will always be the top priority for the U.S. Department of Labor,” said Wage and Hour Division Administrator Jessica Looman. “The department has taken significant steps to prevent and address illegal child labor across the country. This agreement, like the others the department has secured, is about keeping kids safe now and in the future.”
