A poultry plant in Jasper, Alabama, could be shut down for 30 days as a result of accusations of hiring minors, according to a recently filed lawsuit by the US Department of Labor. Mar-Jac Poultry, the largest employer in Walker County, stands accused of violating federal labor laws by employing four minors as young as 16 at their slaughterhouse facility who were allegedly found working overnight.

This is not the first time Mar-Jac Poultry has faced controversy related to their employment practices. Last summer, the same company was held directly responsible for the death of a 16-year-old worker at one of their plants in neighboring Mississippi. Furthermore, in May 2021, another employee tragically lost their life when they became partially pinned under a machine.

The current lawsuit filed by the labor department is seeking a 30-day plant closure, based on statutes prohibiting companies from benefiting from child labor. According to the lawsuit, six teenagers had been working at the Jasper chicken plant for months using forged documents, successfully passing the E-Verify system designed to verify legal employment eligibility.

Mar-Jac Poultry contends that the terminated employees were not engaged in work around slaughtering machinery, but were solely assigned to chicken-hanging and wing-removal areas, which they claim do not violate federal regulations. The company argues that a shutdown would result in more than 1,000 layoffs and force them to dispose of millions of chickens in landfills.

Tragically, on Friday, another teenager was reported killed while operating equipment at a Mar-Jac plant near Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The 16-year-old was involved in sanitation operations when the incident occurred.

In response to the allegations, Mar-Jac Poultry stated that they have implemented measures based on a newly released "best practices" guideline for meat processing companies, issued by the Meat Institute, an industry trade group. The company emphasizes that meat and poultry production facilities should not employ children.

The US Department of Labor contends that slaughterhouse work is too hazardous for minors, and federal regulations strictly prohibit their employment in this sector. However, it is important to note that federal law does not categorically forbid it in all cases.

Representatives from the National Chicken Council, including Mar-Jac, expressed their commitment to preventing child labor and considered it a "non-competitive" issue. They stated that minors continue to be hired even with the utilization of required government screening programs, as it can be challenging to accurately determine their legal age.

The accusations against Mar-Jac Poultry highlight the ongoing concerns surrounding child labor in the poultry industry. The outcome of the lawsuit will have significant implications not only for the company but also for the rights and safety of underage workers across the sector.