Investigators with the Connecticut State Attorney’s General’s office uncovered a series of labor law violations at three Wal-Mart stores in the state and expect more complaints to be confirmed in the coming weeks.
In total,
eleven $300 fines have been assessed against the company for breaking child labor laws at three stores in Connecticut. Employees under the age of eighteen were found to regularly work late at night and with machinery, both prohibited by federal and state law.
Connecticut began the investigation shortly after February’s deal between the US Department of Labor and Wal-Mart over alleged child labor law violations at stores in Connecticut, Arkansas and New Hampshire. The much criticized agreement calls for the company to pay $135,540.
Many groups denounced that settlement as a "sweetheart deal" for Wal-Mart because of the low dollar amount of the fines and a provision giving the company fifteen days’ advance notice before a federal investigation begins. The settled fine is roughly half of what the DoJ could have sought in court.
By law, the maximum fine a company can receive for each instance of breaking child labor laws in Connecticut is $300. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal pledged to continue investigating Wal-Mart for illegal activities.
