ST. PAUL, Minn. – State investigators went to court against Mankato-based Tony Downs Food Group on allegations that minors, some as young as 13, were hired illegally at its Madelia butchery. The state Department of Labor and Industry is seeking an injunction while it continues its investigation. Court documents say state agents conducted an unannounced after-hours inspection and found eight minors in company books under false names. As evidence of exploitation, the agency said that some of the minors were not native English speakers. Investigators said they identified other employees on the books who were hired before they were 18. The minors worked overnight shifts and longer hours than allowed by law, inspectors said. They operated meat grinders, ovens and forklifts, and worked where products were flash-frozen with the hazardous chemicals carbon monoxide and ammonia. The violations were at Tony Downs plant in Madelia. The surprise investigation was triggered by a a complaint about working conditions. This was in late January. Confronted, the company later opened its employee records. The investigators say that Tony Downs was aware of its violations. Meanwhile, the Labor Department is asking Attorney General Keith Ellison to to seek criminal referrals and penalties.
Minnesota law
The state prohibits employers from hiring minors to work in hazardous conditions. Employers also are prohibited from requiring employees under the age of 16 to work after 9 p.m., more than eight hours a day, or more than 40 hours a week.
Verbatim
Nicole Blissenbach, state labor commissioner: “Child labor laws exist so that when children are introduced to employment, it is in a safe environment and the work advances the economic, social and educational development of our youngest workers. When child labor laws are violated, the best interests of our children are being tossed to the wayside to advance the interests of an employer.”
PSS case
A high- profile child labor abuses against Wisconsin-based Packers Sanitation Sevices was settled in February wuth a $1.5 million fine. PSS had hired more than 100 children in dangerous jobs at 13 meatpacking plants across the country.
Tony Downs profile
In in 1947 Tony Downs purchased a produce business in St. James, Minnesota. The company expanded over the years into fully cooked protein processor and co-packer of frozen entrees for branded and private label products. It remains a family-owned business. The company’s own literature proclaims a commitment to “1uality, service and respect.” This includes “continuous process and safety improvement, recycling and conserving energy in order to create a healthier workplace and reduce our impact on the environment.” Corporate offices are in Mankato. The Madelia plant is 25 miles southwest. There also is a plant in Fairmont, 50 miles southwest of Mankato.
Cold weekend. On shipping docks in Madelia.