this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2024
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The company, Tuff Torq, was fined nearly $300,000 for hiring 10 children. It must also set aside $1.5 million to help the immigrant minors who were illegally employed.

Immigrant children as young as 14 were found working illegally amid dangerous heavy equipment at a Tennessee firm that makes parts for lawn mowers sold by John Deere and other companies, according to Labor Department officials.

The company, Tuff Torq, was fined nearly $300,000 for hiring 10 children. As part of a consent agreement with the federal government, the company is also required to set aside $1.5 million to help the children who were illegally employed. Ryan Pott, general counsel for Tuff Torq’s majority owner, the Japanese firm Yanmar, acknowledged the violations to NBC News.

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[–] originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com 273 points 6 months ago (2 children)

notice no one is going to jail.

[–] snooggums@midwest.social 152 points 6 months ago (3 children)

The company is being fined, so no single person is being held accountable monetarily either

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 215 points 6 months ago (5 children)

Google tells me:

Tuff Torq has 513 employees, and the revenue per employee ratio is $311,891. Tuff Torq peak revenue was $160.0M in 2023.

They were fined $300,000. So less than one employees' worth of revenue.

Cost of doing business, as usual.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 80 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

Fined $300K, but also have to give up $1.5M in profit for the 10 kids. $150,000 per kid, or, you know, 1/2 of the revenue they generated. ;)

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 48 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Well I'm sure a company with ethics, like John Deere probably, will stop doing business with Tuff Torq now. Definitely.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 40 points 6 months ago (1 children)

No, they'll just re-negotiate their contract to get a better deal causing Tuff Torque to treat their remaining employees worse.

[–] BossDj@lemm.ee 24 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Or owner bankrupts tuff torq, gives himself a termination bonus, then makes a new LLC called Tough Tork

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[–] WarmSoda@lemm.ee 50 points 6 months ago (2 children)

You'd think since companies are people they'd be thrown in jail or something.

[–] aniki@lemm.ee 28 points 6 months ago

They would but companies usually are considered rich people so they get the same treatment.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 26 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Corporations are people until it comes to them committing serious felonies.

[–] WarmSoda@lemm.ee 13 points 6 months ago

At that point they're "too big to fail"

[–] kboy101222@sh.itjust.works 45 points 6 months ago

Whoever signed off on hiring literal children should be held accountable. Actually holding these people to accountability is the only way this is getting solved

[–] doublejay1999@lemmy.world 21 points 6 months ago

Cost of doing business

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 84 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Saw the headline, said, "I bet they're immigrant children."

Surprise, surprise.

https://www.npr.org/2023/05/04/1173697113/immigrant-child-labor-crisis

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 45 points 6 months ago

Yup. Republicans claim they want to close the border, but have no problem exploiting the labor supply.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 79 points 6 months ago (1 children)

"The Labor Department has prioritized child labor enforcement since last spring amid a 152% increase in children found to be illegally employed since 2018, according to department figures."

[–] FenrirIII@lemmy.world 28 points 6 months ago (2 children)
[–] TwinTusks@bitforged.space 12 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 32 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

Of course they are. Why else would you oppose immigration, except to be able to exploit illegal immigrants?

By virtue of being here unlawfully, they have little recourse. That fact alone is essentially leverage for any “employer” to exploit them over.

It’s clearly not because they are a drain on the system, because that’s been disproven time and time again. Their economic contributions far outweigh whatever little social programs they’re able to obtain.

So it must be because they are a great pool of cheap, under-the-table, sub-minimum-wage, exploitable labor. Just like prisoners and prostitutes (except for the sans sub-minimum wage part. Plenty of illicit sex workers that are unpaid victims of trafficking, but if the John is paying less than $7.25 an hour, they should really know better)

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[–] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 9 points 6 months ago

Indeed, and this is what the vast majority of human trafficking actually is. But you may have noticed that very few conservatives are calling for the blood of these factory owners.

[–] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 71 points 6 months ago (15 children)

$300k is a joke. Every manager should be in prison and the factory should be nationalized. Keep the legit (adult) employees there, and transition the business to worker ownership.

Do that a few times and you’ll see some changes in how businesses behave.

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[–] Son_of_dad@lemmy.world 54 points 6 months ago (2 children)
[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 32 points 6 months ago (4 children)

Oh but c'mon, it's a country where undiagnosed schizophrenics have the freedom to buy semi-automatic firearms, proudly rapist lying bankrupt fraudsters can become the president and guns are the leading cause of death for children!

What's not to like?

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[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 13 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Just wait until conservatism gets back in charge. K-6 can look forward to the coal mines.

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[–] linearchaos@lemmy.world 48 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Tennessee: old enough to make assembly line lawn mower parts

Florida: not old enough for social media.

[–] user224@lemmy.sdf.org 35 points 6 months ago (1 children)

But old enough to have a rifle/shotgun. And not just in Tennessee:

[–] HelluvaKick@lemmy.world 14 points 6 months ago (13 children)

From TN and got my first shotgun for my tenth birthday.

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[–] EvilLootbox@lemmy.world 47 points 6 months ago (9 children)

John Deere really continuing to speedrun the Most Hated Company in America challenge I see

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[–] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 43 points 6 months ago

but children crave the mines

[–] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 36 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Are you from Tennessee? 'Cause you're the only ten-year-old I see working on this assembly line.

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[–] Tilgare@lemmy.world 35 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I'm sure Tennessee law makers will be sure to rectify this soon - they'll go ahead and loosen child labor laws more and more so their benefactors remain happy.

[–] MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 12 points 6 months ago

They can't attend school as often if they work, so an additional benefit in some circles.

[–] Neato@ttrpg.network 33 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Companies found using child labor should have their business license revoked and forced to liquidate.

[–] n3m37h@sh.itjust.works 12 points 6 months ago (2 children)

And the CEO / Board members jailed or sent to a forced labour camp. Either way I would be happy

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[–] 0x2d@lemmy.ml 28 points 6 months ago (1 children)

talk about freedom and democracy 🦅

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[–] PopcornPrincess@lemmy.world 26 points 6 months ago (1 children)

“Pott, the general counsel for Tuff Torq’s majority owner, said the child workers were temporary and were not hired directly by Tuff Torq. He said they used fake names and false credentials to obtain jobs through a temporary staffing agency, and said Tuff Torq is ‘transitioning’ away from doing business with the staffing company.” They’re just passing the blame now that they got caught; otherwise, I’m sure they’d continue to turn a blind eye.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 11 points 6 months ago

Yeah, they didn't stop and go... "The staffing agency says you're 18, I don't buy it. Where's your ID?"

[–] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.de 21 points 6 months ago

well, at least none of those kids were being endangered by hormones!1!!11!

[–] interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Imagine how insanely productive kids must be at repetitive tasks. And it's not like they have been exposed to the labour struggles, they'll have to figure it out all of that on their own.

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[–] cogman@lemmy.world 13 points 6 months ago

Just think of all the valuable work experience these children are missing out on due to the nanny state! /s (the actual thought of rightwing ghouls).

The reason businesses and right wingers are so pro border enforcement is so they can abuse children like this. Threaten deportation and you don't have to follow labor laws.

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