The Department of Labor has filed a complaint accusing a Hyundai plant and two Alabama companies of what the government says is the illegal employment of children.
Department Wage and Hour Division conducted an investigation and discovered that a 13-year-old worked between 50 and 60 hours a week on an assembly line operating machines that turned sheet metal into automotive parts.
The complaintfiled in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, seeks to have a federal judge stop companies from using child labor and forfeiting profits linked to the alleged practice.
The defendants in the case are Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama LLC, SMART Alabama LLC and Best Practice Service LLC.
“In the complaint, the department alleged that the three companies jointly employed the child,” the Department of Labor said in a statement.
The department said the companies “deliberately and repeatedly” violated child labor provisions from July 2021 to February 2022.
“The Department of Labor’s complaint seeks to hold three employers in the supply chain accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Seema Nanda. “Companies cannot escape responsibility by blaming child labor violations on staffing company suppliers when in fact they are also employers.”
The department’s Wage and Hour Division administrator, Jessica Looman, said a 13-year-old working on an assembly line in the U.S. “shocks the conscience.”
The Hill has reached out to Hyundai for comment.
The Associated Press informed the company said it is unfair to be held responsible for the practices of its suppliers.
“We are reviewing the new lawsuit and intend to vigorously defend the company,” the statement said.
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