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It's safe to say that 2025 has been a trying year for Hyundai's operations in the United States. The Korean automaker – which manufactures vehicles all over the globe — was, after all, the subject of unwanted attention in September, after its Savannah, Georgia facility was raided by U.S. immigration officials, who detained more than 300 Korean employees alleged to be working in the country illegally. Hyundai is now facing another legal entanglement, with a non-profit organization having filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the sale of its vehicles in the state of California.
That non-profit is called Jobs to Move America, and posits itself as, "a strategic policy center that works to transform public spending and corporate behavior." The organization filed its suit against the Korean automaker in Los Angeles County Superior Court, with the filing alleging that Hyundai — which claims a U.S. base of operations in Orange County's Fountain Valley — has been, "violating state law against unfair competition with the use of exploited labor from children, immigrants and inmates," as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
The suit also alleges that Hyundai has leveraged the cheap labor to bolster bottom lines of its supply chain operations and then covered up the misdeeds in order to garner favorable contracts from public agencies in the state of California. Furthermore, the filing seeks to ban the sale of Hyundais in California until the company course corrects what Jobs to Move America calls "unconscionable" labor practices.
Hyundais are not likely to disappear from California freeways anytime soon
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Hyundai is not the only automaker targeted in the suit, with Jobs to Move America alleging that KIA — one of Hyundai's many auto holdings — has engaged in similar practices. A litigation director for Jobs to Move America has reportedly added to the allegations by claiming that the practices employed by both factions violate, "the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment." She alleged that the company has employed workers "as young as 13" years old.
Hyundai Motor Group has responded publicly to the legal filings via a statement. As reported byWTOC, the company has said in no uncertain terms that, "These allegations are baseless." The statement goes on to tout Hyundai's commitment to the "safety and well-being" of its workforce, as well as its legal adherence to hiring practices in its American outposts.
While it's unlikely that vehicles like the 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid will disappear from California roadways anytime soon, certain government officials are taking the alleged labor infractions very seriously. According to the L.A. Times piece, that includes Los Angeles City Council member Hugo Soto-Martinez, who noted that Hyundai's contracts with California's public agencies may need to be reviewed. Soto-Martinez was particularly vocal on the subject, telling the Times that the city of Los Angeles, "will not tolerate anti-worker practices."
