June 3rd 2024.
The U.S. Department of Labor recently filed a lawsuit against a Hyundai manufacturing plant in Alabama for allegedly hiring a 13-year-old girl to work on their assembly line for a shocking 50 hours a week. The complaint claims that the company collaborated with another auto parts manufacturer and a staffing agency to illegally employ minors. The Labor Department is seeking to not only stop these companies from hiring children illegally, but also to demand the surrender of any profits made from the use of oppressive child labor.
According to the complaint, the young girl worked at the manufacturing facility in Luverne, Alabama for a period of six to seven months, putting in long hours instead of attending school. She was tasked with working on an assembly line, producing parts for vehicles. This alarming case has brought to light the defendants' alleged profiting from "oppressive child labor," with consumers across the country unknowingly purchasing cars assembled by minors.
As reported by CNN, the child was working with machines that turned sheet metal into body parts for vehicles between July 11, 2021 and February 1, 2022. This goes against the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and puts all three companies involved in violation. Jessica Looman, the Wage and Hour Division Administrator, expressed her shock and disappointment in a statement, saying, "A 13-year-old working on an assembly line in the United States of America shocks the conscience. As we work to stop illegal child labor where we find it, we also continue to ensure that all employers are held accountable for violating the law."
This is a significant step towards holding companies accountable for adhering to child labor laws, especially in states where there is a push to relax these laws. In Florida, a bill has been proposed to eliminate state guidelines for children aged 16 and 17 on when they can work. The bill also aims to limit the ability of local government bodies to impose stricter regulations. Currently, in Florida, it is illegal for employers to have minors under 18 work more than 30 hours a week during the school year, during school hours, between 11 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., or for older teens to work more than six days in a row.
Hyundai has released a statement, acknowledging the issue and taking steps to prevent it from happening again in the future. "After we learned of the alleged supplier violations, we took immediate actions. We asked the suppliers involved to terminate their relationships with the third-party staffing agencies, even though they had certified that the individuals they hired were of legal age. Additionally, we conducted a thorough investigation and review of our U.S. supplier network," the statement read.
Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda emphasizes that companies cannot escape liability by blaming suppliers or staffing companies for child labor violations, as they are also responsible as employers. As of 2023, the Labor Department is currently investigating close to 1,000 cases involving 5,792 children nationwide, including 502 children employed in violation of hazardous occupation standards. This is a concerning issue that was highlighted in a previous investigation by ABC News, which found that a Tennessee firm had hired children to clean head splitters in a slaughterhouse. It is crucial for companies to take responsibility and ensure that they are not contributing to the exploitation of child labor.
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