Child Labor Violators’ Profits in Labor Solicitor’s Crosshairs

The US Labor Department is pursuing some of the toughest remedies for child labor violations, such as company profits, an escalation the agency’s top lawyer says is needed to end an alarming trend of minors working in dangerous conditions.

Just recently, the DOL obtained a $1.5 million “disgorgement” remedy as part of a consent judgment with Tuff Torq Corp., a manufacturer of components for major companies like John Deere, Toro, and Yamaha. The financial recovery was calculated from 30 days of profits tied to the company’s use of illegal child labor—with the money intended to go directly to the minors. ...