LANSING, Mich. — The owner of a Saranac meat-processing plant was sentenced Tuesday for employing a minor after the latter lost his hand on the job.
The Michigan Department of Attorney General says the 17-year-old worker’s hand was severed by a meat grinder at US Guys Processing on Nov. 19, 2019.
We’re told the plant’s owner, 55-year-old Darin Wilbur, pleaded guilty in June.
The state of Michigan says Wilbur was sentenced to pay $1,143 in fines and other related expenses.
“Our labor laws were written to protect children from dangerous workplaces; however, they lack the teeth needed to properly hold bad employers accountable for violations,” says Attorney General Dana Nessel. “This case highlights the need to strengthen these protections, as well as the consequences for violations, and I look forward to working with the legislature on this critical work to protect the state’s youth.”
Nessel says the case is an example of why lawmakers should reevaluate the penalties for hiring minors without permits.
The state says hiring people under 18 to work dangerous jobs is a misdemeanor.
