Migrant teens sue Raw Seafoods for child labor violations

Three migrant teenagers have filed a federal lawsuit against Raw Seafoods, a major seafood supplier in Fall River, Massachusetts, alleging severe violations of child labor laws, according to a report by The New Bedford Light. Represented by Justice at Work and Yale Law School’s Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic, the teens claim they were forced into dangerous work environments, including long overnight shifts handling sharp machinery and toxic chemicals, despite being underage.

“Forced to work and denied education”

The lawsuit states that the teens, who immigrated from Guatemala in 2022, were employed at the processing plant when they were just 15 years old. Two of them were unaccompanied minors. Their tasks involved cutting fish with sharp blades, moving heavy boxes, and working in freezing temperatures. Attorneys representing the teens describe a disturbing work environment, with one lawyer stating: “Raw Seafoods has profited off exploiting immigrant children.”

The teens reported serious injuries, including cuts from fish-cutting machines, back injuries, and freezer burns from handling frozen fish without protective equipment. They were further exposed to constant low temperatures working in a refrigerated facility and “routinely experienced flu-like symptoms” so severe that one often wedged a napkin beneath his face mask to “catch the heavy sinus drainage while he worked.”

“The [company’s] conduct was motivated, at least in part … to maximize its employees’ productivity by means of forced labor and increase the corporation’s output and revenues,” attorneys wrote. 

According to the complaint, the migrant teens often slept as little as two or three hours a night while trying to attend both school and work. Many of the allegations focused on one supervisor, referred to only as Rolando, who according to the article,

“incited a hostile working environment … by berating them with racist remarks, profanity, and obscenities nearly every day.” It added that the supervisor “scolded” them for taking days off to attend school and, in one instance, prevented one teen from attending school in the 2022-2023 year by “refusing him time off to obtain the vaccines required for school enrollment.” 

A Broader Trend in Child Labor Exploitation

This lawsuit highlights a growing concern in the U.S. of the increasing number of migrant children employed in dangerous industries. Federal child labor laws prohibit minors from working in hazardous environments, such as seafood or meat processing plants. However, labor rights advocates point to a disturbing rise in violations, with companies taking advantage of vulnerable young workers.

Marí Perales Sánchez, one of the students with Yale Law School’s Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic, wrote in a statement about the lawsuit:

“Raw Seafoods is among countless other companies that exploit the vulnerable community of immigrant children with impunity,” adding that,“this country cannot allow powerful companies to use and abuse children as a business model.” 

According to the Department of Labor, the number of children employed in violation of U.S. labor laws has surged by 88% since 2019. Many of these children are unaccompanied migrants, pressured to work to pay off debts incurred during their journey or to send money to their families back home.

Take action against child labor exploitation

“This country cannot allow powerful companies to use and abuse children as a business model,” said Sánchez, emphasizing the need for stronger enforcement of child labor protections to prevent such exploitation.

As child labor violations increase nationwide, advocates stress the urgency of stopping the rollback of child labor laws. Stronger legislation is essential to protect children from these dangerous and illegal conditions.

Support campaigns to protect vulnerable child workers. Sign our petition demanding action from legislators to protect child labor laws and prevent the exploitation of migrant children. Together, we can build pressure for systemic change and ensure that no child is forced to work in unsafe and exploitative conditions.