5 ms·

>A Reuters investigative report in July documented children, including a 12-year-old, working at a Hyundai-controlled metal stamping plant in rural Luverne, Ala

>A Reuters investigative report in July documented children, including a 12-year-old, working at a Hyundai-controlled metal stamping plant in rural Luverne, Alabama, called SMART Alabama, LLC. > In a statement on Wednesday, SL Alabama said it had taken "aggressive steps to remedy the situation" as soon it learned a subcontractor had provided underage workers. It's hard to believe no one noticed 12 year olds working in manufacturing. It would be one thing if they were 17 and this were some legal technicality. Willful violation of the law and a "oops weird" cover up. The fine will likely be a fraction of the money they saved.

jeffbee 4y ago
- _jal 4y ago
  And modernized slavery in Florida (2002 article): https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2002/07/03/slavery-alive-in-florida-agriculture-industry/ https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2002/07/03/slavery-alive-in...
- healthandsafety 4y ago
- moron4hire 4y ago
  Incidentally, I was just two days ago in Montgomery, Alabama at the Equal Justice Initiative's museum documenting and memorializing the plight of enslaved people in the Americas. While not uniquely exploitative amongst all US states during the 2 century era of the legal slave trade, the post century of near complete lack of enforcement against the illegal slave trade, and the post half-century of transforming the slave trade into the prisoner-slave trade, this is true. Alabama--along with the other deep-South states--has been really bad about forced labor. I'd say it's more like 400 years of custom, with the first 150 years pre-dating the founding of the US, and the last 50 just being ignored because it's "only prisoners", with no introspection on just how those people became prisoners, or why what they did (or didn't even do) was considered a crime.
- dwater 4y ago
  People in other parts of the US joke about how the deep south is backwards and give facts like the lack of quality education as examples, but fail to realize this is intentional. The working class in the deep south may be "backwards", but it's not by choice or culture. The people in power in those states intentionally create conditions that result in a permanent underclass who have no opportunity besides selling their manual labor and well-being for whatever pittance the capitalists deem. Slavery was outlawed but exploitation wasn't.
  - orangepurple 4y ago
    Slavery was never outlawed in the United States of America. Its government can still fully legally actually enslave prisoners.
    - bombcar 4y ago
      Is there an example of a government that has outlawed slavery without some sort of exception for prisons, etc?
      - orangepurple 4y ago
        Slavery is even legal in the EU according to European Convention on Human Rights Article 4 Paragraph 3. I love subparagraph (d) which is a wonderful catch-all in case a legal pressure relief valve is needed in the future to justify god knows what. Article 4 – Prohibition of slavery and forced labour 1 No one shall be held in slavery or servitude. 2 No one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labour. 3 For the purpose of this article the term "forced or compulsory labour" shall not include: a any work required to be done in the ordinary course of detention imposed according to the provisions of Article 5 of this Convention or during conditional release from such detention; b any service of a military character or, in case of conscientious objectors in countries where they are recognised, service exacted instead of compulsory military service; c any service exacted in case of an emergency or calamity threatening the life or wellbeing of the community; d any work or service which forms part of normal civic obligations.
- willnonya 4y ago
  You should try visiting reality occasionally. It's not so bad, you just have to leave your delusions behind at the border.
  - dang 4y ago
    Please don't break the site guidelines yourself, regardless of how bad another comment was or you feel it was. It only makes things worse. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- dang 4y ago
  Please stop posting flamewar comments to HN. It's not what this site is for, and it destroys what it is for, and you've unfortunately been doing it repeatedly (e.g. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33253658 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33253658 - swipes like that are totally not ok). If you'd please review the site guidelines and start following them, we'd appreciate it. Note this one: "Comments should get more thoughtful and substantive, not less, as a topic gets more divisive." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
maxfurman 4y ago
This article exists because Hyundai noticed, no?
- delusional 4y ago
  Reuters investigating and publishing an article isn't what I'd normally describe as "noticing". That's closer to being told.
- jeffbee 4y ago
  No, Hyundai noticed after Reuters broke the story based on police sources four months ago.
- tyingq 4y ago
  They noticed because of escalating local news coverage, probably: "Reuters first reported on July 22 that allegations surfaced about SMART’s labor practices after a Guatemalan girl reportedly working at the Hyundai-owned auto supplier went missing from her family’s Alabama home." https://www.fox6now.com/news/hyundai-subsidiary-allegedly-uses-child-labor-report https://www.fox6now.com/news/hyundai-subsidiary-allegedly-us...
citizenpaul 4y ago
>aggressive steps to remedy the situation Who wants to bet those aggressive steps will be. When our contract with the child labor ends we will put out a search for a replacement contract company. This time when we say "CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP Labor on the bid we will specify we don't mean "Child labor cheap" just regular old undocumented slave labor cheap.
bombcar 4y ago
You might be able to clock 13 year olds from around you, but are you sure you can do it reliably for the entire world?

jeffbee 4y ago

_jal 4y ago
And modernized slavery in Florida (2002 article): https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2002/07/03/slavery-alive-in-florida-agriculture-industry/ https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2002/07/03/slavery-alive-in...
healthandsafety 4y ago
moron4hire 4y ago
Incidentally, I was just two days ago in Montgomery, Alabama at the Equal Justice Initiative's museum documenting and memorializing the plight of enslaved people in the Americas. While not uniquely exploitative amongst all US states during the 2 century era of the legal slave trade, the post century of near complete lack of enforcement against the illegal slave trade, and the post half-century of transforming the slave trade into the prisoner-slave trade, this is true. Alabama--along with the other deep-South states--has been really bad about forced labor. I'd say it's more like 400 years of custom, with the first 150 years pre-dating the founding of the US, and the last 50 just being ignored because it's "only prisoners", with no introspection on just how those people became prisoners, or why what they did (or didn't even do) was considered a crime.
dwater 4y ago
People in other parts of the US joke about how the deep south is backwards and give facts like the lack of quality education as examples, but fail to realize this is intentional. The working class in the deep south may be "backwards", but it's not by choice or culture. The people in power in those states intentionally create conditions that result in a permanent underclass who have no opportunity besides selling their manual labor and well-being for whatever pittance the capitalists deem. Slavery was outlawed but exploitation wasn't.
- orangepurple 4y ago
  Slavery was never outlawed in the United States of America. Its government can still fully legally actually enslave prisoners.
  - bombcar 4y ago
    Is there an example of a government that has outlawed slavery without some sort of exception for prisons, etc?
    - orangepurple 4y ago
      Slavery is even legal in the EU according to European Convention on Human Rights Article 4 Paragraph 3. I love subparagraph (d) which is a wonderful catch-all in case a legal pressure relief valve is needed in the future to justify god knows what. Article 4 – Prohibition of slavery and forced labour 1 No one shall be held in slavery or servitude. 2 No one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labour. 3 For the purpose of this article the term "forced or compulsory labour" shall not include: a any work required to be done in the ordinary course of detention imposed according to the provisions of Article 5 of this Convention or during conditional release from such detention; b any service of a military character or, in case of conscientious objectors in countries where they are recognised, service exacted instead of compulsory military service; c any service exacted in case of an emergency or calamity threatening the life or wellbeing of the community; d any work or service which forms part of normal civic obligations.
willnonya 4y ago
You should try visiting reality occasionally. It's not so bad, you just have to leave your delusions behind at the border.
- dang 4y ago
  Please don't break the site guidelines yourself, regardless of how bad another comment was or you feel it was. It only makes things worse. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
dang 4y ago
Please stop posting flamewar comments to HN. It's not what this site is for, and it destroys what it is for, and you've unfortunately been doing it repeatedly (e.g. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33253658 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33253658 - swipes like that are totally not ok). If you'd please review the site guidelines and start following them, we'd appreciate it. Note this one: "Comments should get more thoughtful and substantive, not less, as a topic gets more divisive." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

maxfurman 4y ago

This article exists because Hyundai noticed, no?

delusional 4y ago
Reuters investigating and publishing an article isn't what I'd normally describe as "noticing". That's closer to being told.
jeffbee 4y ago
No, Hyundai noticed after Reuters broke the story based on police sources four months ago.
tyingq 4y ago
They noticed because of escalating local news coverage, probably: "Reuters first reported on July 22 that allegations surfaced about SMART’s labor practices after a Guatemalan girl reportedly working at the Hyundai-owned auto supplier went missing from her family’s Alabama home." https://www.fox6now.com/news/hyundai-subsidiary-allegedly-uses-child-labor-report https://www.fox6now.com/news/hyundai-subsidiary-allegedly-us...

citizenpaul 4y ago

>aggressive steps to remedy the situation Who wants to bet those aggressive steps will be. When our contract with the child labor ends we will put out a search for a replacement contract company. This time when we say "CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP Labor on the bid we will specify we don't mean "Child labor cheap" just regular old undocumented slave labor cheap.

bombcar 4y ago

You might be able to clock 13 year olds from around you, but are you sure you can do it reliably for the entire world?