Category: US Senate

Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) today, alongside several Senate colleagues, sent letters to nine companies that contracted with Packers Sanitation Services, Inc. (PSSI), which the Department of Labor found were unlawfully employing migrant child labor at these host companies’ facilities. In the letters, the senators ask each host company to detail the changes to their contractor monitoring and procurement processes they plan to implement or have made since the discovery of PSSI’s use of child labor to ensure this never happens again.

“We write in response to recent reports that your company employed a contractor, Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI), that violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) prohibition on the use of child labor in hazardous environments and exploited migrant children,” wrote the senators to the nine companies. “We are concerned that your company potentially turned a blind eye to glaring child labor issues in your facilities, and are deeply troubled by the response to previous Congressional inquiries that seek to shift accountability away from host companies to third-party contractors. While we recognize that you may have severed ties with PSSI, we are seeking information on your company’s process for monitoring contractor compliance with labor laws as well as information on the changes you will be implementing to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.”

Since 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has seen a 69 percent increase in companies illegally employing children. In fiscal year 2023, the DOL found 835 companies it investigated had employed more than 3,800 children in violation of labor laws. In this particular case, the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division began investigating PSSI in August 2022 and found PSSI liable for employing more than 100 children, aged thirteen to seventeen at 13 meat-processing facilities in eight states. As DOL noted when unveiling an interagency child labor task force in February, companies who contract for services are often not vigilant about who is working in their facilities, creating child labor violations up and down the supply chain, and host companies often falsely claim that they are unaware or unable to control child labor issues happening at their worksites.

“We are concerned that [your company] did not conduct sufficiently rigorous monitoring and oversight of third-party contractors like PSSI. This lack of vigilance… allows for egregious violations and raises broader concerns of compliance and accountability,” added the senators. “Further, we are concerned that, despite the investigation and settlement by the DOL, Congressional inquiries, and outreach from the United States Department of Agriculture, several host companies have failed to terminate contracts with PSSI, have failed to address the deficiencies in their existing compliance and auditing practices, and/or have failed to institute company-wide oversight practices to address the current crisis.”

“Without concerted efforts by all relevant parties to root out all instances of child labor across the industry, children will continue to be illegally employed and exploited in dangerous working conditions in our country,” concluded the senators. “As such, we write to ask your company a number of questions to ensure that you properly monitor your contractors for potential FLSA and Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) violations, including child labor, and get to the bottom of past monitoring failures.”

The senators sent letters to nine companies that contracted with PSSI, including Tyson Foods, George’s Inc. (part of Rosen’s Diversified, Inc.), JBS Foods, Maple Leaf Farms Inc., Cargill Inc., Turkey Valley Farms, Buckhead Meat of Minnesota (part of Sysco Corporation), Gibbon Packing Co., and Greater Omaha Packing Co. Inc.

Joining Sens. Menendez and Booker in this oversight effort are Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

For copies of the letter, click HERE. The full text of the letter can be found below.

Dear [CEO NAME]:

We write in response to recent reports that your company employed a contractor, Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI), that violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) prohibition on the use of child labor in hazardous environments and exploited migrant children.¹ We are concerned that your company potentially turned a blind eye to glaring child labor issues in your facilities, and are deeply troubled by the response to previous Congressional inquiries that seek to shift accountability away from host companies to third-party contractors. While we recognize that you may have severed ties with PSSI, we are seeking information on your company’s process for monitoring contractor compliance with labor laws as well as information on the changes you will be implementing to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Since 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has seen a 69 percent increase in children being employed illegally by companies. In fiscal year 2023, the department found 835 companies it investigated had employed more than 3,800 children in violation of labor laws.²

The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division began investigating PSSI in August 2022 and found PSSI liable for employing more than 100 children, aged thirteen to seventeen at 13 meat processing facilities in eight states. The investigation found [#] children employed by PSSI working sanitation shifts at [COMPANY] facilities in [#] states in violation of child labor laws.³ The majority of these children are migrants, who face other acute vulnerabilities as they contend with the complexities associated with their immigration status and navigate unfamiliar school environments and new communities.

We are concerned that [INSERT COMPANY NAME] did not conduct sufficiently rigorous monitoring and oversight of third-party contractors like PSSI. This lack of vigilance between [INSERT COMPANY NAME] and its contractors allows for egregious violations and raises broader concerns of compliance and accountability. Further, we are concerned that, despite the investigation and settlement by the DOL, Congressional inquiries,⁴ and outreach from the United States Department of Agriculture,⁵ several host companies have failed to terminate contracts with PSSI, have failed to address the deficiencies in their existing compliance and auditing practices, and/or have failed to institute company-wide oversight practices to address the current crisis.

Without concerted efforts by all relevant parties to root out all instances of child labor across the industry, children will continue to be illegally employed and exploited in dangerous working conditions in our country. As such, we write to ask your company a number of questions to ensure that you properly monitor your contractors for potential FLSA and Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) violations, including child labor, and get to the bottom of past monitoring failures:

1. Describe the standards that your company requires in your contracts with your contractors and subcontractors as it pertains to child labor, safety and health, foreign labor recruitment, and other labor standards.
2. In detail, describe how you monitor your contractors and subcontractors for compliance with child labor laws under the Fair Labor Standards Act and standards under OSHA.
1. Following the DOL’s findings, what changes have you made to the oversight of these contracts?
3. Do you plan to continue employing PSSI as a contractor of your company?
1. If so, how do you plan to alter the contract or its enforcement to ensure PSSI, or any other contractor or subcontractor, will comply with child labor laws in the future?
2. If not, when did you or when do you plan to end the contract?
4. Does your company outsource the enforcement or auditing of contractors to a third party?
1. If so, what company do you utilize and how do you ensure that your third-party auditor is effectively enforcing child labor laws?
2. If not, how does your company conduct the auditing of contractors, and at any point, did your auditing team raise concerns regarding PSSI for labor law violations?
5. Beyond flagging potential issues for the contractor, what if any additional protocols does your company follow when it becomes aware that a contractor is or may be in violation of child labor laws under the Fair Labor Standards Act?
6. How does your company monitor the contractor’s employee age verification process during the hiring process?
7. Does your company have staff or managers on-site at regular intervals who are able to verify and/or assess whether contractor employees appear to be under the legal age to work in the facility in a racially and ethnically conscious manner?
1. If so, is there a process in place to flag potential issues for the contractor so they can investigate them?
2. If not, do you plan to place staff on site who can conduct informal checks?
8. Does your company have signs or posters displayed conspicuously around its facilities, in English, Spanish, and any other languages spoken by the workforce, describing workers’ rights under U.S. labor laws and how they can seek recourse if those rights are being violated?
1. If so, do such notices directly address child labor laws?
2. If not, do you have plans to post such notices in the future?
9. Does your company conduct oversight of orientations and trainings for contract and/or subcontract workers?
1. If so, how does your company conduct oversight of orientations and trainings conducted by third-party contractors like PSSI to ensure that labor laws and employees’ rights and responsibilities are thoroughly communicated to contract and/or subcontract workers that will be operating within your facilities?
2. If not, how does your company ensure that contract and/or subcontract workers are aware of labor laws and their rights and responsibilities while operating within your facilities?
10. Does your company have protocols to ensure that direct employees of your company and employees of your contractors can report suspected trafficking or labor law violations, including child labor and safety and health violations, for investigation without fear of retaliation?
1. If so, please provide a detailed description of that reporting process.
2. If not, describe how you plan to implement such a policy moving forward.
11. Do you have a plan outlining the compliance standards your company requires when interacting with employment recruiters in the hiring process?
1. If not, how do you ensure that contractors, including PSSI, are effectively certifying the age of potential minors when interacting with recruiters?
12. Does your company have an existing collective bargaining agreement or other worker representation at your facilities?
1. If so, how are you working with the bargaining unit to address child labor and other concerns and prevent future violations?
2. If not, are you willing to commit to a labor neutrality agreement so that your employees can act together to address shared concerns in the workplace?

Thank you in advance for your attention to this critical issue and your cooperation as we seek to address instances of child labor. We look forward to receiving your response by July 1, 2023.

Sincerely,

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Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez

LAKEWOOD, N.J. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) today joined CHEMED Health Center for the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of its new site on River Avenue in south Lakewood, NJ. The senator was the guest of honor at today’s festivities, where he underscored the importance of this new site in expanding health care access to the residents of Lakewood and the surrounding areas. Sen. Menendez was instrumental in securing $207,000 in federal funds to help create a safe and inviting medical center.

“I am proud to join in the grand opening ceremony for this new site, CHEMED River Avenue, as they further their mission of providing care for anyone who comes through their doors. Investments in expanding access to quality health care through our community health centers – like CHEMED Health Center – are exactly the kind of investments we must make to ensure the health and wellbeing of all communities,” said Sen. Menendez. “At this new center, residents of Lakewood and patients across Ocean County will receive high-quality care with access to advanced technology and state-of-the-art facilities.”

The new CHEMED River Avenue site is fully equipped with the latest technology to provide a range of services, including a Pediatric Department, Internal Medicine Department, Women’s Health Department, Dental Department, a walk-in department for immediate care, and on-site laboratory services in partnership with LabCorp. The launch of this site signifies a crucial milestone for CHEMED Health Center as they continue to expand their services to meet the needs of all uninsured and underinsured residents in our area.

Senator Menendez secured federal funds for the Lakewood Resource and Referral Center (LRRC) to install a security system for the CHEMED Health Center. This funding was used to install a video surveillance system to help create a safe medical center where underserved New Jersey residents can access comprehensive health services.

Also in attendance at the event were key community figures and contributors including Lakewood Mayor Raymond Coles, Ocean County Commissioners, New Jersey State Senator Robert Singer, and Mark Manigan, President and CEO of RWJ Barnabas. Health care stakeholders from across the state, including leaders from NJFamilyCare HMOs, representatives of the New Jersey Department of Health, and the Ocean County Health Department were also in attendance.

“We are thrilled to open our doors to the community and provide comprehensive medical care to patients in the South Side of Lakewood,” said Dr. Dovid Friedman, CEO of CHEMED Health Center. “We are grateful for the overwhelming support from our healthcare stakeholders, local leaders, and the community. This facility is a testament to our commitment to providing quality healthcare for all.”

The Senator has previously secured $2 million in the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill of 2023 for the Township of Lakewood to construct a new road and utility infrastructure on undeveloped land. This project will ensure water and sewer infrastructure, public roads and pedestrian facilities are in place to support the anticipated housing under development to alleviate the local housing shortage.

The Senator also secured $3 million in the THUD bill for Beth Medrash, a nonprofit institution of higher education, to fund the purchase of land to construct a non-profit daycare center with 20 classrooms and additional space. The daycare center will accommodate children in a safe, comfortable, and stimulating environment, providing important health, safety and educational benefits to Lakewood’s children.

For event photos, click HERE.

The new site is located at 1171 River Avenue in Lakewood. For more information about CHEMED Health Center or to schedule an appointment, please call 732-884-2222.

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Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

The FCC’s National Broadband Map Determines Allocation of Federal Funding For High-Speed Internet From Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Senator Rosen Wrote Broadband Section Of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law And Has Led The Push To Fix The Previously Deeply Flawed Map

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) announced that, after her successful push, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) updated its National Broadband Map to more accurately reflect Nevada’s current broadband needs, which is critical for the allocation of funding for high-speed internet from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $42 billion Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. A previous, deeply flawed map misrepresented the high-speed internet coverage in Nevada and would have caused the state to lose out on potentially millions of dollars in BEAD funding. The new version of this map identifies nearly 27,000 new broadband serviceable locations across Nevada, in addition to nearly 7,000 new locations without access to high-speed service that were not included in the previous version.

“While helping write the broadband section of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I made sure that states like Nevada would be able to access the funding and resources necessary to connect more households to high-speed internet,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to announce that thanks to my efforts, the updated version of the FCC broadband map accurately identifies additional unserved locations across Nevada, which will help bring more federal infrastructure funding to connect them to high-speed internet. I’ll continue working with the Department of Commerce to ensure Nevada gets its share of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding in June to get Nevadans access to high-speed internet.”

Senator Rosen has led the fight to fix the deeply-flawed FCC Broadband Map and increase Nevadans’ access to high-speed internet. Earlier this year, Senator Rosen sent a letter to the FCC urging them to fix the deeply flawed broadband map to ensure Nevada receives its fair share of federal funding. Last year, Senator Rosen led a bipartisan letter to the FCC Chairwoman pushing the agency to fix these inaccurate broadband maps. During a Senate hearing, Senator Rosen even raised the alarm on this flawed broadband mapping and called for immediate improvements to protect broadband investments in rural Nevada. 

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Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders

WASHINGTON, May 30 – Ahead of a hearing tomorrow in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee on child care funding, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the committee, and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a senior member and former chair of the committee, released a stunning new report finding that if Congress fails to act before September 30, 2023, child care across the U.S. could become more expensive and more difficult to find. The critical child care funding Democrats delivered in the American Rescue Plan saved the child care sector from collapse as the pandemic hit – saving high quality child care slots for 10 million children nationwide and 1 million child care jobs. But the funding is set to expire on September 30th, putting access to affordable child care at risk. According to the report, once these funds run out:

• 1 in 5 child care programs say they will have to serve fewer children.
• 4 in 10 child care programs say they will be forced to raise tuition for working parents.
• 3 in 10 child care programs say they will be forced to cut wages or be unable to sustain any previous wage increases. This will be devastating for a sector that is already short 54,000 workers.

The report details for each state the number of child care programs that received these grants, the number of children impacted, and the amount of funds expiring by September 30th.

“We have a child care crisis in America that we have got to address,” Sanders said. “The American Rescue Plan provided critical funding that made child care available to millions of children and allowed child care programs throughout our country to stay open. If Congress does not act by September 30th to renew these funds, millions of working families with children will be at risk of losing the quality care that they need. We cannot allow that to happen. Not only do we need to renew these funds, we need to make sure that every child in America receives the high quality child care they deserve and that every child care worker in America makes a living wage. In the richest country in the history of the world, that is not a radical idea.”

“Our nation’s child care sector was hanging on by a thread before the pandemic, and it was headed straight for collapse when COVID hit our country and providers prepared to close their doors for good. The historic federal investment in our nation’s child care sector that I fought tooth and nail to deliver saved the child care sector from collapse – keeping 220,000 providers’ doors open and saving child care slots for 10 million kids across our country,” said Murray. “But the funding we provided will expire this fall – which will likely force providers to lay off staff or shut down, force parents to leave work when they lose their child care, and take a wrecking ball to our economic recovery – unless we take action. Failing to invest in child care means failing to invest in our economy – it means worsening an already serious workforce shortage. This isn’t rocket science – businesses are struggling to hire the workers they need, parents need quality child care to get to work, child care workers need a living wage if we want them to take care of our children, and kids deserve a safe place to grow up and learn. I will not let up for one second until we finally fix the child care crisis in America.”

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the already fragile child care sector to the brink. During the pandemic, child care providers were the workforce behind the workforce – providing child care services for nurses, doctors, first responders, and so many other frontline workers. But child care programs consistently had to do more with less. Providers faced increased costs associated with keeping children and workers safe and healthy, while experiencing severe drops in revenue due to fewer families paying for child care during the pandemic. The nation stood to lose an estimated 4.5 million child care slots, and in June of 2020 fewer than 1 in 5 child care programs surveyed said that they expected their program could survive for longer than a year without significant financial help.

Congress provided over $52 billion in vital support to help stabilize the child care sector and help working families meet their child care needs during the pandemic through funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and funding for Child Care Stabilization grants. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Child Care Stabilization funds kept over 220,000 child care providers across the country afloat, sustaining child care for up to 10 million children. One third of child care providers who received a stabilization grant said their child care program would have closed permanently without the grants. States have used supplemental CCDBG funding to make child care more affordable for working families, to increase wages and support for child care workers, and to improve their child care subsidy systems.

Over $37 billion in funding for the child care sector runs out on September 30, 2023, which will leave workers, child care businesses, and working families with young children at risk without more child care funding to meet their ongoing needs, with states such as California, Florida, and Texas losing billions in funding. These historic investments in the chronically-starved child care sector provided a glimpse of what is possible with significant federal funding for child care – and must be maintained.

To read the full report, click here.

Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin

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Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin

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Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

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Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

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