Have you stopped beating your dog? We know there is no correct nor good answer to this question. If you say yes, you are admitting that you were doing so in the past. If you say no, you must be continuing to do so. The Department of Labor (DOL) is accusing both Perdue Farms (PF) and Tyson Foods (TF) of employing underage children in their chicken processing plants. I would suppose DOL is asking them, “Has your plant cleaning service stopped employing children to staff dangerous slaughterhouse jobs that adolescents as young as 13 years of age are not physically nor mentally mature enough to handle? (The New York Times (NYT), “Lost in Dreamland,” Sept. 24)

Setting TF aside for the moment as they have been through a DOL child labor employment accusation and subsequent penalty payment at their Green Forest, Ark., plant, (Source: DOL, 2-17-2023, Wage & Hour Division,), I’m concentrating here on my former employer, PF.

I imagine that PF is apoplectic about having to face the unintended consequences of a consumer backlash from such employment practices. Overarching all at PF has been and continues to be the protection of their consumer franchise embodied in the Perdue brand. But whether intended or not, PF is at fault and must take steps to cure the situation while staving off any harm to their brand. The NYT article describes that PF has taken initial steps to eliminate the underage workers. Further, the NYT reports that PF has told its cleaning company, Fayette Industrial, that they may terminate their contract. PF should have taken such steps much, much earlier to curb its underage employment practices.

The beef industry has faced similar egregious child labor accusations, but they are insulated from any consumer rage as they do not have a branded presence in retail stores like PF does.

My tenure at PF included being responsible for various production facilities as well as some marketing and sales efforts. This meant interacting with the PF founder, namesake and chairman at the time, Frank Perdue. Quite honestly, he taught me more about managing people and a business than any undergraduate or graduate education I had previously received. Although Frank was a tough taskmaster, preserving and protecting the trust he had built with consumers of Perdue chicken was paramount to him.

PF’s current chairman, Jim Perdue, Frank’s son, is cut from the same fair yet no-nonsense mold, which is why I find it incredulous that PF allowed these terrible child labor practices. Unfortunately for Jim, the buck stops with him and any change in employment practices must emanate from him.

For PF, what should those “changed” employment practices be and what should any “new” marketing efforts be in the face of these child labor accusations?

1. Admit the mistake – You were complicit in hiring underage workers whether you did it directly or through Fayette Industrial. Nothing will be gained by trying to obfuscate that.

2. Clean house – Get rid of the cleaning service that hired the child laborers and the PF managers who condoned it. They must have known that they were hiring children. Then find someone who cares to be in charge of change.

3. Money talks – Find the pay and benefits levels that are needed to attract adult cleaning workers.

4. Establish rules – Start by saying never again will PF be a part of illegal child labor and we will follow through on number one above if we find out otherwise.

5. Immigrant needs – Solve the immigrant crisis for PF with whatever it takes— jobs, housing, food, schools, English as a second language, etc.

6. Marketing – Tell the world not only is PF the best place to work for all employees, it also produces the safest, cleanest chicken products possible from the best, well trained employees possible. Turn this negative into a positive for your consumers.

Lessons learned: Curb the notion that any workplace actions are a result of what the intermediate bosses think the big boss upstairs in the corner office would want. This has been and always will foster misinterpretation. This is cured by specific job rules and statements from that upstairs corner office resident of what he or she believes in and will expect from the company’s work force — top to bottom.

Child labor’s unintended consequences

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