Two major Southern California–based automakers are facing fresh scrutiny after a nonprofit accused them of relying on exploited labor within their U.S. supply chains. Jobs to Move America filed a lawsuit Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The group alleges Hyundai Motor America and Kia America violated California’s unfair competition laws. They say the companies profited from child labor and coerced prison work. The lawsuit also accuses them of exploiting immigrant workers.
Allegations of Hidden Labor Practices
The lawsuit claims the companies benefited from cheap, unsafe labor in facilities across Alabama and Georgia, then concealed the practice to win contracts from California public agencies that require high employment standards.
Meredith Stewart, litigation director for Jobs to Move America, said the findings point to entrenched exploitation. According to Stewart, the automakers “engaged in severe labor practices, including coerced prison labor, child labor and migrant labor with dangerous working conditions that in some cases led to death.”
She said suppliers employed workers as young as 13, and she argued that using prison labor in the supply chain likely violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Former Workers Describe Unsafe, Chaotic Conditions
Two former Hyundai workers detailed what they described as dangerous environments inside the factories.
Mark Miller, who worked at a Montgomery, Alabama parts plant, told reporters there was “nothing safe” about the job. According to Miller, workers received no real training and were pushed to move parts “out the door no matter what.” He said injuries were ignored and inmates faced the harshest treatment.
“There is no safety at Hyundai,” Miller said. “Just work and get it out the door.”
Another former employee, Rosalinda Soriano-Torres, said she was initially recruited for administrative work but soon found herself doing intense manual labor with minimal protective equipment. She claimed immigrant workers were paid less than U.S. citizens for the same roles and that she was fired after requesting a safer assignment during pregnancy.
“I wanted to quit, but if I lost my job I’d lose my visa,” she said.
State and City Officials Signal Possible Contract Fallout
The lawsuit has caught the attention of California lawmakers.
State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo and Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez stood with the plaintiffs at Friday’s announcement. They warned that public contracts with Hyundai and Kia could be at risk if the allegations prove true.
Durazo questioned how California agencies could continue purchasing vehicles from companies whose supply-chain practices “would be illegal here.” She called for a state investigation, saying the allegations raise urgent questions about oversight and accountability.
Soto-Martinez echoed that sentiment. “If these allegations are true, it would absolutely affect our purchasing decisions in the city of Los Angeles,” he said. “Dignity, fairness, and respect for every worker, these are the values of our city.”
Automakers Yet to Respond
Hyundai and Kia did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The lawsuit seeks a court order blocking the automakers from receiving employment-standards certifications until they undergo an independent audit of their Southern supply chains.
Jobs to Move America says the case aims to push powerful manufacturers toward transparency and to protect workers who, as attorney Brian Olney put it, are “building vehicles they’re not old enough to drive.”
