We’re excited to share two major developments that show how research, organizing, and public leadership are driving real accountability for workers.
Last week, the Los Angeles City Council introduced a new package of policies led by Councilmember Hugo Soto‑Martínez, after companies in Hyundai-Kia’s US supply chain were cited for multiple health and safety violations, including workplace fatalities and serious injuries, as well as child labor violations. Check out our press release for the full story, and coverage in AL Reporter, Korea Daily, and CarBuzz.
These measures build on Los Angeles’ longstanding Sweat‑Free Procurement Ordinance and reinforce the city’s leadership in ethical purchasing and worker protections.
As Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez said:
“We’re introducing this legislation to send a clear message: our public dollars should never support child labor, forced labor, or unsafe working conditions. As a city, we need to do everything we can to create good, safe jobs, and I want to thank Jobs to Move America for helping to expose serious abuses in the auto industry that warrant our attention.”
We are honored that JMA’s research helped inform these policy actions.
Hyundai-Kia’s U.S. Supply Chain Named to the Dirty Dozen Report 2026
For the first time, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) has listed Hyundai-Kia’s U.S. supply chain in its annual 2026 Dirty Dozen Report. The annual report spotlights 12 employers that have put workers at risk by failing to prevent on-the-job injuries, illnesses, and deaths.
The designation comes amid growing documentation of unsafe working conditions, labor violations, and exploitative practices within Hyundai-Kia’s U.S. supply chain, including allegations of child labor and coercive prison labor.
The inclusion of Hyundai-Kia’s U.S. supply chain comes after a groundbreaking report, Hidden in Plain Sight: Safety, Labor & Environmental Violations Driving Hyundai-Kia’s Supply Chain, was released by Jobs to Move America in coalition with community organizations.
Some of the findings of the report included:
- Between 2015 and 2025, 12 workers died in incidents at companies in Hyundai-Kia’s U.S. supply chain.
- From 2015 through September 2025, OSHA cited companies in the same supply chain for 854 violations, resulting in $6.2 million in penalties. 70% of these violations were categorized as willful, repeat, or serious.
- Between 2020 and 2022, at least nine facilities in Alabama that supplied parts to Hyundai-Kia were found to have illegally employed children.
- In March 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor filed a civil suit naming Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama as a joint employer of a 13-year-old who allegedly worked up to 60 hours per week at a company under its control.
What Comes Next
JMA and its partners will continue to push Hyundai-Kia to address the serious concerns found within companies in their US supply chain by calling on them to negotiate a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA). In the coming months, we will work with partners across the country to ORGANIZE and WIN policies that protect workers in our community and create a more just economy.