The company, Tuff Torq, was fined nearly $300,000 for hiring 10 children. It must also set aside $1.5 million to help the immigrant minors who were illegally employed.

The company, Tuff Torq, was fined nearly $300,000 for hiring 10 children. It must also set aside $1.5 million to help the immigrant minors who were illegally employed.

Immigrant children as young as 14 were found working illegally amid dangerous heavy equipment at a Tennessee firm that makes parts for lawn mowers sold by John Deere and other companies, according to Labor Department officials.

The company, Tuff Torq, was fined nearly $300,000 for hiring 10 children. As part of a consent agreement with the federal government, the company is also required to set aside $1.5 million to help the children who were illegally employed. Ryan Pott, general counsel for Tuff Torq’s majority owner, the Japanese firm Yanmar, acknowledged the violations to NBC News.

  • Flying Squid
    49•9 months ago

    Well I’m sure a company with ethics, like John Deere probably, will stop doing business with Tuff Torq now. Definitely.

    • @jordanlund
      41•9 months ago

      No, they’ll just re-negotiate their contract to get a better deal causing Tuff Torque to treat their remaining employees worse.

      • @[email protected]
        24•9 months ago

        Or owner bankrupts tuff torq, gives himself a termination bonus, then makes a new LLC called Tough Tork

        • @MotoAsh
          8•9 months ago

          Then his grand child does the same thing 30 years later to Tough Torgue

    • @FoshezeEnglish
      4•9 months ago

      Honestly, they probably will. John Deere is really shitty ethically speaking with their stance on right to repair but they have a very strict supplier code of conduct. I used to work for a place that was one of their suppliers and our contract with them was far more strict than with any of our other customers. It mostly included things focused on employee welfare at the suppliers site. I’m going to see if I can get a hold of it today but posting it would probably violate confidentiality and this is an easily doxable account so don’t expect me to post it wholesale.

      Also this place just got a bunch of bad press while being associated with Deere while Deere currently has enough bad press of their own. They’re going to come down on them hard which almost certainly means just cutting them off because it isn’t like a company as big as Deere is going to struggle to find eager suppliers.