U.S. Labor Dept Sues Hyundai For Hiring Minors

The United States Department of Labor has alleged that Hyundai and two of its supplier companies illegally employed a 13-year-old who was kept working for up to 60 hours a week on an assembly line in Alabama, Peter Caldes-Dapena and Ramishah Maruf reported for CNN.

The complaint alleges all three companies were responsible for employing the child. Hyundai owns a majority of SMART’s parent company, according to the complaint. I Photo: Hyundai Motor Manufacturing USA

In a new complaint, the department alleges Best Practice, a staffing agency, sent the child to work at SMART Alabama, which provided car parts to Hyundai.

The complaint alleges all three companies were responsible for employing the child. Hyundai owns a majority of SMART’s parent company, according to the complaint.

The child was employed on machines that formed sheet metal into body parts for vehicles, the complaint alleges, adding that from July 11, 2021, through February 1, 2022, all three companies were guilty of violating child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

“A 13-year-old working on an assembly line in the United States of America shocks the conscience,” Wage and Hour Division Administrator Jessica Looman said in a statement.

“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.”