People who worked at Hearthside Food Solutions while they were underage have two months left to file claims for financial compensation under an Illinois settlement agreement, the state said Wednesday.
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People who worked at a Hearthside facility in Illinois between March 4, 2020, and December 4, 2024, when they were under 16 can file settlement claims online. The deadline to submit a claim is Nov. 20. Claims can be submitted in English or Spanish.
The state of Illinois launched an investigation into Hearthside back in 2023. That year, the food manufacturer was named in a sweeping New York Times investigation into migrant child labor that focused on the company’s operations in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the time, Hearthside had 10 manufacturing facilities in Illinois.
In late 2024, Hearthside agreed to settle the Illinois investigation for $4.5 million. The company did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement and denied violating the state’s child labor laws.
Also in 2024, Hearthside filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Texas, a move it said was not primarily driven by the child labor allegations. Last year, the company announced it had completed the Chapter 11 process and rebranded to Maker’s Pride LLC.
People who need assistance filing settlement claims can reach out to the Chicago Workers Collaborative at 630-824-7724 for help, a news release from the Illinois attorney general’s office and the state’s Department of Labor said. People can submit claims regardless of their immigration status.
As of last month, the settlement administrator had received 146 claims, according to the attorney general’s office.
“Illinois has enacted strong child labor laws to protect children and youth under 16 from dangerous work conditions, excessive hours and late shifts in order to safeguard them from harm and exploitation,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement. “I will continue to hold companies who break our labor laws accountable to ensure every workplace is safe for all, including our youngest and most vulnerable workers.”