Complaint targets oppressive child labor by 3 companies, including Hyundai manufacturer
We filed a complaint to prevent three Alabama companies, including a Hyundai U.S. assembly and manufacturing plant, from employing children illegally. The complaint also requests that the court require the companies to surrender profits related to the use of oppressive child labor. The action follows an investigation by our Wage and Hour Division that found a 13-year-old working up to 50-60 hours per week on an assembly line, operating machines that formed sheet metal into auto body parts.
Achieving a clean energy future without child labor
Research shows an increase in the estimated number of children engaged in child labor worldwide, including in hazardous tasks, and climate change is exacerbating the problem. On June 5, Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee led a panel discussion with experts on what it will take to build a clean global economy that is free of child and forced labor. She also announced the 2024 recipients of the Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor: Wadi El Nil Association, an Egyptian civil society organization, and Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe, a trade union leader from Ghana.
Nail salons ordered to pay $753K
Three Rhode Island nail salons and their owner will pay $753,500 in back wages and damages and take corrective actions after violating wage and retaliation laws. The department sued New VIP Nail Spa Inc., VIP Neo Nails Inc., VIP Spa & Nails Inc. and owner Steven Xingri Cao in August 2022 for alleged violations identified during investigations. This is one of the few joint cases we have ever filed involving retaliation claims under two different laws.
Discrimination agreement
A Southern California waste collection and recycling company has agreed to pay $104,658 to resolve alleged gender-based hiring discrimination.
Pathway to success
The Pathways program’s holistic approach to student care helps participants overcome common barriers to success and achieve their education and career goals.
Union leaders reinstated
Labor rights issues at a mine in Mexico have been resolved — including the reinstatement of workers dismissed for protected union activity — following a petition filed under the USMCA.
United Airlines citation upheld
A federal judge has affirmed the airline violated the general duty clause, following OSHA’s investigation into a technician’s debilitating injury at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Safety Month
Tragedies often remind us of what is important and the simple steps that could have been taken to prevent them. Practice safety today and every day at work.
Grocery partnership
How a labor-management partnership between the United Food and Commercial Workers union and employers in the retail food industry helps keep stores running and shelves stocked.
Empowering LGBTQI+ workers
Our agency champions LGBTQI+ rights, ensuring workplace safety and respect with protections like FMLA leave, nondiscrimination policies, and resources on restroom access and mental health.
Post of the Week
⚠️ 💅 Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Wage and Hour Division investigations found that New VIP Nail Spa, VIP Neo Nails, VIP Spa & Nails and owner Steven Xingri Cao:
- fired and threatened an employee who was sickened by an undiluted sanitizer and raised safety complaints
- threatened another employee
- did not pay proper overtime compensation
- did not maintain accurate work records
- provided false information to investigators
- compelled employees to sign documents that contained false information
Now the employer has to pay workers $753,500 in back wages and damages, plus take other corrective actions. Read more about this case here: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/sol/sol20240529
If any of this ever happens to you or someone you know at work, well, it shouldn’t. Call us: 1-866-4-USA-DOL
In the News
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- SDG 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor.
- SDG 10.7: Facilitate orderly, safe, regular, and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.
- SDG 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Indicator for SDG 8.7: Number of children engaged in child labor, particularly in hazardous work.
- No specific indicators mentioned for SDG 10.7.
- No specific indicators mentioned for SDG 12.2.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor. | Indicator: Number of children engaged in child labor, particularly in hazardous work. |
| SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities | Target 10.7: Facilitate orderly, safe, regular, and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies. | No specific indicators mentioned. |
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources. | No specific indicators mentioned. |
Copyright: Dive into this article, curated with care by SDG Investors Inc. Our advanced AI technology searches through vast amounts of data to spotlight how we are all moving forward with the Sustainable Development Goals. While we own the rights to this content, we invite you to share it to help spread knowledge and spark action on the SDGs.
Fuente: dol.gov
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