On Wednesday, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a worker advocacy organization, released its annual “Dirty Dozen” report. One of the companies on the list of twelve was the “Hyundai-Kia U.S. Supply Chain,” which includes several facilities in Alabama.
Drawing on a tracker of OSHA inspections, the report states that twelve workers died in incidents at companies included in the Hyundai and Kia supply chain between 2015 and 2025. It also highlights the Department of Labor’s filing of a lawsuit against Hyundai and suppliers in 2024 over alleged use of child labor.
Hyundai Motor North America, which oversees both Hyundai and Kia production in the United States, relies heavily on smaller independent companies within its supply chain. Advocacy groups like the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health and Jobs to Move America, pointing to assorted allegations of labor abuses at these suppliers, argue Hyundai Motor ought to be responsible for the abuses within its supply chain.
“We prioritize the safety and well-being of our workforce above all else and remain fully compliant with all federal and state regulations,” a Hyundai Motor North America spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement on Friday morning. “We require our suppliers and business partners to adhere to Hyundai’s strict safety, employment, and legal standards, and take decisive action when violations occur.”
The spokesperson also highlighted the thousands of jobs that the company supports in the Alabama and Georgia area, saying that “in Alabama, we employ 4,500 people directly and support an additional 18,000 jobs, generating more than $2.4 billion in private disposable income each year.”
The Dirty Dozen report states:
Hyundai Motor Company points to its Supplier Code of Conduct, which prohibits violations of child labor, wage, and workplace health and safety laws, but a code of conduct is not enough. Hyundai-Kia must take responsibility for the conditions faced by workers who power its operations across Alabama, Georgia, and beyond.
During a press call on Wednesday, an anonymous worker at a Hyundai electric vehicle plant in Georgia complained about working conditions and safety with the aid of a translator.
“We work long hours under pressure to reach the production goals of these companies, many times under conditions that don’t always feel very safe,” he said. “At work, we face physical risks and many coworkers have faced many injuries at the place of work. What we are seeing is that safety is not taken as seriously as it should be.”
The anonymous employee also stated that workers are afraid to speak out about working conditions due to concerns resulting from their immigration status.
“I reported my injuries, but I was still required to work in pain for months before getting proper medical attention,” Hyundai employee Kissy Cox said in a statement released by Jobs to Move America alongside the report. “I have witnessed many of my coworkers are going through the same thing. The company says it’s a safe place to work, but the reality does not match what we experience.”
During the press call, Cox said that “if you speak out about your injuries, you’re more than likely going to be retaliated against.”
“And if you speak on or report an injury, it shouldn’t take months and months for your case to be evaluated and see what’s going on,” she continued.
Jobs to Move America is currently suing Hyundai and Kia in California court alleging the company has enabled “severe labor exploitation, including child, forced, and prison labor, in plants with deadly working conditions resulting in widespread violations of health and safety standards.” The nonprofit also helped produce an economic study which suggested the company’s use of incarcerated workers on work-release programs depresses wages for nonincarcerated employees.
“Hyundai-Kia’s U.S. supply chain, listed in this year’s Dirty Dozen Report, has shed light on a disturbing pattern of worker injuries and safety violations,” stated United Auto Workers Region 6 Director Mike Miller. “Their report exposes a broader system of carelessness that impacts all levels of the supply chain. All workers deserve to have safe and dignified jobs. Their health and safety should not be sacrificed to line the pockets of company owners.”
Under the leadership of Union President Shawn Fain, the UAW has begun a campaign to unionize Southern automakers. The project has met mixed results thus far. In 2024, they lost a representation election at the Mercedes plant in Vance. However, earlier this year, the union reached a tentative agreement with Volkswagen for an assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which included a 20 percent raise, bonuses and profit-sharing.
