Bu CHARLOTTE EBY, Courier Des Moines Bureau

DES MOINES - State labor officials said Tuesday they found 57 cases of "egregious" child labor violations at the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville after a months-long investigation.

The kosher plant was recently the target of a raid by federal immigration officials, who detained nearly 400 workers. That raid was the largest of its kind in the country's history.

Now the Iowa Labor Commissioner's Office, the agency that enforces state labor laws, said it will turn over its findings to Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller for possible prosecution.

"The investigation brings to light egregious violations of virtually every aspect of Iowa's child labor laws," said Iowa Labor Commissioner Dave Neil of La Porte City.

A news release put out by the department said Agriprocessors violated rules that prohibit minors from working in certain occupations, failed to obtain work permits and exceeded allowable work hours for minors. Other violations include exposing minors to hazardous chemicals and allowing them to work with prohibited tools, among others.

Each of the 57 cases developed against Agriprocessors has multiple child labor violations in each case, the release said.

State labor officials say a second portion of the investigation is still pending and could lead to additional cases.

An Agriprocessors official could not immediately be reached for comment.

Charlotte Eby can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.