• MonkeMischief
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    1 year ago

    I don’t think they meant “use agencies as bully goons.”

    More like, those agencies are usually left under-resourced and under-staffed, so many companies flagrantly violate safety and employment laws because it’s more profitable to just make more money and pay off an unlikely fine if they get caught.

    So, if you focused all the existing attention of those agencies on the worst companies, they’d find tons of legitimate lawbreaking going on, and hopefully punish the crap out of said company.

    But, you know how it is “You stole how many millions in employee wages?!?.. that’s $25,000 penalty for you, company. Naughty naughty!”

    • Mirshe@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Exactly, even if they do get caught, the fines are so goddamn low it’s barely worth it. A warehouse in my city got caught using 11-year-olds in their labor force, including having them driving forklifts. Their penalty? The kids can’t work there anymore and the company that owned the warehouse got a $30k fine.

      • MonkeMischief
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        1 year ago

        I shudder to think about the multiples of $30k in net-value generated by the labor of those children.

        It still probably cost less to unethically hire them under the table and pay the 30k fine than it would to hire adults legitimately!

        “Cost of doing business” at this point.

        I thought child exploitation got the book thrown at you, in this country. Geeze.