The Labor Department said that through the employment of children at its supplier, Hyundai was in violation of the “hot goods” provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which prevents the interstate commerce of goods “that were produced in violation of the minimum wage, overtime or child labor provisions” of that law. “Companies cannot escape liability by blaming suppliers or staffing companies for child labor violations when they are in fact also employers themselves,” said Seema Nanda, the Labor Department’s chief legal officer, in a statement Thursday. The suit comes after investigations by Reuters and The New York Times documented the use of child labor by the suppliers of car companies. In 2022, Reuters found that Smart Alabama had used child labor at its facility, and that Kia, which is part of the same South Korean conglomerate as Hyundai, had also used child labor in the South. The United Automobile Workers union has said it hopes to organize workers at Hyundai’s Montgomery plant.

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Persons: ”, Seema Nanda Organizations: Smart, Best Practice Service, Labor Department, Hyundai, Fair Labor, Act, Labor, Reuters, The New York Times, Smart Alabama, Kia, The Times, General Motors, Ford Motor, The United Automobile Workers Locations: South Korea, Georgia, Hyundai’s Montgomery