Washington berry farms fined for hiring kids 6 and up
The U.S. Labor Department has fined three Washington state strawberry farms a total of $73,000 for employing children as young as 6 years old as pickers, The Associated Press reported today.
The department’s Portland, Ore., office says Thursday the violations include failing to maintain proof-of-age records and pay minimum wage. A total of nine underage workers were found during a child labor investigation in June at farms in Woodland, Wash., and Ridgefield, Wash.
The department says all three employers removed the underage workers and agreed to attend wage and hour training for the next three years.
