The US Department of Labor has reached a settlement with Monogram Meat Snacks after two children were found to be operating meat processing equipment, which is illegal under federal law.

This agreement, announced on Friday, is the latest in the Department's crackdown on child labour violations, which have been on the rise in recent years. As several states have moved to loosen workplace protections for youths, Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda spoke on behalf of the Biden-Harris administration, saying “The Department of Labor and the Biden-Harris administration see child labour as a scourge in this country and will not tolerate violations of child labour laws.”

Monogram Meat Snacks was fined $30,276 in civil money penalties as a result of their violation. The legislative body in Minnesota is only one of 14 states that have proposed to relax child labour laws over the past two years, with some like Iowa and Arkansas successfully passing measures.

Lowa's new standards allow children younger than 16 to work up to six hours during school days, up from the previous four-hour cap. Despite the opposition from Democrats, the law still came into effect on July 1. However, there are risks associated with these relaxed restrictions, as demonstrated by the death of a 16-year-old boy in an industrial accident at a sawmill in Florence County, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is another state that has recently considered lifting its child labour restrictions. A bill was introduced in May that would permit children as young as 14 to serve alcohol in restaurants, down from the current age limit of 18. Marty Walsh, who stepped down this year as US Secretary of Labor, argued that more protections are needed to prevent workplace abuses and risks to child safety.

He commented that “We see every day the scourge of child labour in this country, and we have a legal and a moral obligation to take every step in our power to prevent it.” In 2022 alone, a total of 3,876 children were found to be working illegally, with 688 employed in violation of hazardous occupation standards.

The Department of Labor has urged state governments and Congress to take action to ensure child labour laws are enforced, and young workers are kept safe.