SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Recently unsealed court documents from the Western District of Arkansas have revealed allegations of child labor violations at two Tyson Foods processing plants, leading to searches by the U.S. Department of Labor.
In September 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor filed applications for inspection warrants targeting the Tyson Foods plants in Rogers and Green Forest. The applications, backed by narratives from an investigator at the Houston District Office for the Wage and Hour Division, detailed the suspicion that minors were being employed in violation of federal labor laws.
The warrants sought records pertaining to the employment of minors and were aimed at gathering documents relating to employees at Tyson Foods, as well as affiliates and contractors, according to court documents. The investigation into the plants began in June 2024 after the Wage and Hour Division received anonymous complaints.
For the Rogers plant, a teacher from a nearby school anonymously reported that one of her 14-year-old students mentioned working at the Tyson facility with his mother over the summer. The Green Forest plant investigation was triggered by a complaint from a mother of middle school students who overheard children between the ages of 11 and 13 discussing their work on the night shift at the plant. The children reportedly talked about not knowing how to withdraw money from their paychecks at an ATM, according to the documents.
In July 2024, investigators conducted surveillance outside both plants, observing workers entering and exiting. According to the court filings, investigators noted seeing several individuals whose appearance and behavior suggested they might be minors under the age of 16. The children were believed to be working in potentially hazardous conditions.
A memorandum included in the applications contained a narrative from Julie Su, the Acting Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor, stating, “The Acting Secretary has received information that Tyson Foods employs minors. Suspected minors may be working outside of the hours permitted by the [Fair Labor Standards Act]. Additionally, minors may be working in potentially hazardous occupations and below the minimum age standards for such employment involving slaughtering, meat and poultry packing, processing, or rendering in violation of the child labor provisions.”
On September 11, 2024, search warrants were executed at both plants—at 3 a.m. for the Green Forest facility and around 7 a.m. for the Rogers location—allowing investigators to gather critical evidence.
The investigation is ongoing as Tyson Foods faces scrutiny over its labor practices and the potential violations of child labor laws.
