In this article
Signage is displayed outside the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) assembly plant in Montgomery, Alabama.
Luke Sharrett | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co has used child labor at a plant that supplies parts for the Korean carmaker’s assembly line in nearby Montgomery, Alabama, according to area police, the family of three underage workers, and eight former and current employees of the factory.
Underage workers, in some cases as young as 12, have recently worked at a metal stamping plant operated by SMART Alabama LLC, these people said. SMART, listed by Hyundai in corporate filings as a majority-owned unit, supplies parts for some of the most popular cars and SUVs built by the automaker in Montgomery, its flagship U.S. assembly plant.
Hyundai didn’t respond to phone calls or emails from Reuters seeking comment.
SMART, in a statement, said it follows federal, state and local laws and “denies any allegation that it knowingly employed anyone who is ineligible for employment.” The company said it relies on temporary work agencies to fill jobs and expects “these agencies to follow the law in recruiting, hiring, and placing workers on its premises.”
SMART didn’t answer specific questions about the workers cited in this story or on-the-job scenes they and other people familiar with the factory described.
Reuters learned of underage workers at the Hyundai-owned supplier following the brief disappearance in February of a...
An urgent care and its owner have agreed to pay the United States $20 million to resolve false claims billing. Heal 360 Urgent Care PLLC, Heal 360 Primary Care PLLC and its owner, Dr. Moh...