Civil monetary penalties for worker rights and safety violations are woefully inadequate
Worker protection |
Applicable law |
Maximum penalty for violation |
Comparison with the maximum penalty of $2,166,279 for insider trading |
---|---|---|---|
Child labor violation | Fair Labor Standards Act | $13,227 | Well under 1% of the maximum insider trading penalty |
Willful child labor violation | Fair Labor Standards Act | $120,230 | 5.6% of the maximum insider trading penalty |
Repeated or willful minimum wage or overtime violation | Fair Labor Standards Act | $2,074 | Less than one-tenth of one percent of the maximum insider trading penalty |
Homeworker violation | Fair Labor Standards Act | $1,084 | Far less than one-tenth of one percent of the maximum insider trading penalty |
Willful OSHA violation | Occupational Safety and Health Act | $136,532 | 6.3% of the maximum insider trading penalty |
All other OSHA violations | Occupational Safety and Health Act | $13,653 | Well under 1% of the maximum insider trading penalty |
Source: EPI analysis of federal worker protection and financial laws.