Detroit, MI – Months after reports first appeared about multiple incidents of child labor at their suppliers in Alabama, Hyundai Motors is addressing the problem publicly. Their solution appears to be to sever ties with suppliers SMART (a company that is majority-owned by Hyundai) and SL Alabama which will likely result in job losses for hundreds of workers, without doing anything to address what appears to be a systemic problem. By abandoning these workers, the company – which has received millions of dollars in subsidies – has effectively walked away from a problem without any regard to the consequences of ...
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Detroit, MI – UAW commends the U.S. Department of Labor for its swift investigation and fining of SL Alabama LLC, a supplier of parts to Hyundai and Kia. The DOL found that the company illegally employed children as young as thirteen and was fined $30,076 to address their child labor violations. The Alabama Department of Labor also fined SL Alabama and JK USA, a temporary employment agency, $17,800 each for violating state laws that forbid underage children in manufacturing jobs. The children were hired through JK USA, a temporary employment agency which did not provide any required documentation. “This distressing ...
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People normally associate Labor Day as the official end of summer, a reason for stores to have sales, or the start of a new school year in many communities. Being in a labor union, we should each take pride in a holiday that commemorates us, labor unionists, both past and present, for our contributions in shaping our nations’ history and society as a whole. The origins of Labor Day in the United States start in 1882 in New York City under the direction of the Central Labor Union. Keep in mind, at that time in America, labor unions only covered ...
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There was a time in America at the height of industrialization when children worked long hours in factories, in coal mines, or just about anywhere where physical labor was needed in manufacturing. Injuries, abuse and exploitation were common. Many child workers were robbed of their childhoods. It took the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to stop the practice of hiring minors in most industries, although there is still work to be done as thousands of children still toil for long hours in the agriculture industry. Preventing the return of child labor is one of the many protections unions provide ...
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There was a time in America at the height of industrialization when children worked long hours in factories, in coal mines, or just about anywhere where physical labor was needed in manufacturing. Injuries, abuse and exploitation were common. Many child workers were robbed of their childhoods. It took the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to stop the practice of hiring minors in most industries, although there is still work to be done as thousands of children still toil for long hours in the agriculture industry. Preventing the return of child labor is one of the many protections unions provide ...
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