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.

View the underlying data on epi.org.