Hyundai supplier used child labor in Alabama factory, Reuters reports
A supplier for Hyundai's car manufacturing plant in Montgomery allegedly used child labor at its metal stamping plant in Luverne, Alabama, international news agency Reuters reported Friday.
Underage workers as young as 12 years old have recently worked at the plant, Reuters reported. SMART Alabama LLC operates the plant, which has supplied parts to Hyundai’s sole U.S. manufacturing facility since 2004, according to the supplier's website.
Reuters was first tipped off to the story after a 14-year-old Guatemalan migrant briefly escaped from her home in Enterprise, Alabama. The girl and her 12- and 15-year-old brothers reportedly worked at the plant earlier this year.
Reuters said it conducted anonymous interviews with former employees to confirm that the three children were part of a larger group of underage workers at the plant.
Alabama law prohibits children under 18 from working in metal stamping and pressing factories like the one SMART operates.
Hyundai did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment, while SMART told the news service in a statement that it “denies any allegation that it knowingly employed anyone who is ineligible for employment.”
The Alabama Attorney General’s Office declined to comment on Reuters’ reporting.
Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanMealins.
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This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Hyundai supplier used child labor in Alabama factory, Reuters reports
