A southern Minnesota meat-processing facility is illegally employing as many as eight teenagers in violation of state labor laws, according to a court filing in Watonwan County.
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry filed a request on Wednesday for a temporary restraining order and injunction against Mankato-based Tony Downs Food Co., alleging the packaged meat company's facility in Madelia has been employing teenagers to work overnight shifts involving meat grinders and toxic chemicals.
The filing, which comes after a January search of the Madelia facility, claims the company, which processes meat and poultry, as recently as Feb. 8 employed workers between the ages of 14 and 17. The government says the company hired one employee when the minor was only 13 years old.
"[The Department of Labor and Industry's] allegations about child labor at this site are appalling," Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement. "I applaud their investigation and am proud to represent them in bring this action in court."
The company told the Star Tribune on Wednesday evening that they were "familiarizing" themselves with the Labor Department's filing.
"Our intent is always to comply with the law and, based on what we learn, we will take any actions that are necessary to ensure that we do so," said David Ross, the company's vice president of human resources.
Ross suggested that employees may have circumvented their hiring process by providing false identification documents showing the workers as at least 18 years old.
According to the court filing, state labor regulators searched the Madelia facility the night of Jan. 26 and into the early morning hours of Jan. 27, following a tip that minors were working the overnight shift. Some of the employees interviewed acknowledged needing to go to high school in the morning.
