Local leaders want apology after allegations of child labor violations
Leaders in Tallapoosa County have called on a Hyundai supplier to apologize after federal officials accused the plant of employing children at its Alexander City plant, AL.com reported. In August, the U.S. Department of Labor accused SL Alabama of hiring workers under age 16 at its Alexander City factory. The six-page complaint gave no specifics regarding the charge. At the time, the lawsuit was accompanied by a proposed settlement. A lawyer for the company signed the consent decree which stated that the company agreed not to hire underage workers, to verify the ages of workers hired through a staffing agency, and to fire or discipline any managers aware of the use of underage workers. Alexander City leaders, including Mayor Woody Baird, along with the Lake Martin Area Economic Development Alliance (LMAEDA), released a statement saying the allegations are “egregious and unconscionable and demonstrate an utter disregard for the good faith support of all entities who worked to bring SL Alabama to the Lake Martin area.” “The violations outlined in the complaint filed by U.S. Department of Labor in Federal District Court, August 22, 2022, admitted by SL Alabama, are violations of the trust and expectations the community put into the company when the Lake Martin Area Economic Development Alliance (LMAEDA) recruited SL to locate to our area,” Baird stated. “The City of Alexander City, along with the (LMAEDA), are working to make sure that the infractions are acknowledged, corrected and a strongly worded apology issued for the shame and embarrassment their actions have caused the City of Alexander City and the area.” Baird said in an interview that area leaders “had no idea” about the allegations before the federal complaint, but they felt a combined statement was needed. “We needed to formulate a combined statement so that we could show that we’re together on this,” Baird stated. This is the second allegation of child labor against a Hyundai supplier in recent months. Reuters reported that children as young as 12 have been recently employed at SMART Alabama in Luverne. In a statement to Reuters, Hyundai said it, “does not tolerate illegal employment practices at any Hyundai entity. We have policies and procedures in place that require compliance with all local, state and federal laws.” SL Alabama was established in 2003 and is a large manufacturer of headlights, rear combination lights, and side mirrors for large automobile manufacturing companies such as Hyundai and Kia. The company employs around 650 people, which makes it the largest employer in Alexander City.
Auto parts manufacture accused of using child labor
Federal officials this week accused a Korean-owned auto parts manufacturer and supplier to Hyundai and Kia of violating federal child labor laws at an Alabama factory. The U.S. Department of Labor filed a federal lawsuit Monday in Montgomery accusing SL Alabama of hiring workers under age 16 at its Alexander City factory. The lawsuit was accompanied by a proposed settlement. A lawyer for the company signed the consent decree in which the company agreed to not hire underage workers, verify the ages of workers hired through a staffing agency, and to fire or discipline any managers aware of the use of underage workers. A federal judge has not yet signed off on the agreement. The company’s website says the factory employs about 650 people and is a large manufacturer of headlights, rear combination lights, and side mirrors for Hyundai and Kia. The lawsuit comes after a report by Reuters accused the auto parts supplier of using child labor at a plant in Luverne, Alabama. An email to the attorney representing SL Alabama was not immediately returned. Hyundai issued a statement saying, “Hyundai does not tolerate illegal employment practices in any Hyundai entity. We have policies and procedures in place that require compliance with all local, state, and federal laws.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama unemployment claims see small spike
Initial unemployment claims were up in Alabama during the week ending Oct. 30, according to a report from the U.S Department of Labor. State officials received 3,552 new claims compared with 3,227 in the previous week, an increase of 225. The number of claims paid for the week ending Oct. 23 was down by 1,258 from the previous week, according to the report. The state paid 4,352 claims compared to 5,601 in the prior week. Alabama’s unemployment rate is the eighth-lowest in the country at 3.1%, according to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate was the same in August, according to a news release from the Alabama Department of Labor. The unemployment rate in September 2020 was 6.7% In September, 74,000 more residents had jobs than in the previous year, and almost 79,000 fewer people were on the unemployment rolls, according to the state labor department. The figures show 68,544 Alabamans were without a job in September, compared with 69,014 in August. The number of Alabamans not working in September 2020 was 147,334, according to the Alabama DOL. Alabama is one of several U.S. states that ended federal pandemic unemployment programs earlier this year. On the business side, the state added 63,000 new jobs this year, according to the Alabama DOL. The state reached its highest job count of 2021, according to Alabama Labor Secretary Washington Fitzgerald. “Some of the hardest-hit industries, including the leisure and hospitality industry, continue to lead the state in over-the-year growth and registering significantly higher wages,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. The U.S. unemployment rate is also declining. Fourteen thousand fewer unemployment claims were filed for the week ending Oct. 30 when compared with the week prior, according to the DOL. The figure represents the lowest number since March 14, 2020, when 256,000 claims were filed. By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square
Alabama to get federal grants for communities hit by coal industry layoffs
As one of the states hardest hit by coal industry layoffs, Alabama will receive a portion of $39 million in federal grants to help residents get back to work. The Appalachian Regional Commission, the Economic Development Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor announced a series of investments Wednesday for projects supporting coal communities. WBRC reports that Shoals Entrepreneurial Center (SEC) in Florence will receive up to $1 million for an entrepreneurship program serving a nine-county area of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. According to the Shoals Entrepreneurial website, the center is a “business incubator” that works with startups and other up-and-coming businesses — offering space, equipment and resources in a cost-controlled environment. SEC partners with a wide range of organizations, including the USDA Rural Development, the University of North Alabama and Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments, to provide an economic impact of as much is $98 million in the local economy, generating almost $53 million in sales taxes. Also on the list is the Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, which will receive $60,000 for a study on business development in coal communities. In addition to Alabama, states to receive grant money include Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Some of the money will go to address key issues in the Appalachian coal communities, such as research on opioid abuse and the effects of HIV and hepatitis C, the expansion of broadband internet access for business development, and the effort to get international trade support for coal communities.
Bradley Byrne latest to join chorus decrying new pro-union labor rule
Alabama Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL01) reaffirmed Friday afternoon his adamant opposition to a new rule from the U.S. Labor Department, the Persuader Advice Exemption Rule, by introducing a measure to block the regulation. The Congressional Review Act of 1996 established “fast-track” procedures by which Congress can block many of the rules and regulations issued by federal agencies and their bureaucracies by passing and enacting a joint resolution of disapproval. H.J.Res. 87, Byrne’s joint resolution condemning the labor rule, is extraordinarily simple. The two page document simply says “Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule of the Department of Labor relating to ‘Interpretation of the ‘Advice’ Exemption in Section 203(c) of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act’. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress disapproves the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to ‘‘Interpretation of the ‘Advice’ Exemption in Section 203(c) of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act’’ (81 Fed. Reg. 15923 (March 24, 2016)), and such rule shall have no force or effect.” The rule, which is being called a “radical reinterpretation” of existing rules, would require greater disclosure of the communication between employers and outside counsel regarding union and worker organization activities. “I am proud to introduce legislation to protect hardworking Americans and employers from a rule that would restrict privacy, upend the attorney-client relationship, and limit employee access to information during an organizing campaign,” said Byrne in a press release Friday afternoon. “Worst of all, no one would be hurt more by the persuader rule than small- to medium-sized businesses. The rule is ultimately just another attempt by the Obama administration to upset decades of legal precedent and put the interests of Big Labor bosses over what is best for American workers. Congress must act to stop this flawed rule from moving forward,” continued Byrne. Earlier this week Attorney General Luther Strange added Alabama to the list of states opposing the rule, filing an amicus brief in an Arkansas Federal Court. While Byrne, Strange, and officials in the states fighting the rule say it’s an undue intrusion into what should be considered client-attorney privilege, according to Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, “The final rule … is designed to ensure workers have the information they need to make informed decisions about exercising critical workplace rights such as whether to form a union or join a union.”
Bradley Byrne says new Department of Labor rule will restrict access to retirement advice
The U.S. Department of Labor announced new rules Wednesday that redefine the definition of “retirement advice” for pension and retirement plans. They’re expected to have a big impact on how Americans save for retirement. According to the House Education and the Workforce Committee, which has federal oversight of retirement security, the proposed rule would: Severely restrict the ability of individuals to receive some of the most basic financial advice, such as assistance in rolling over funds from a 401(k) to an IRA; Deny many small business owners the help they need to offer their employees a retirement plan; Impose more than $2 billion in additional costs each year on retirement advice – costs that will ultimately be passed on to working families; and Make it harder, if not impossible, for low- and middle-income families to access affordable retirement advice. The agency first proposed a new rule in 2010 but withdrew it in 2011 after widespread criticism from financial industry officials and lawmakers. In 2015, a modified version was reintroduced and also met with criticism. Alabama U.S. Reb. Bradley Byrne (AL-01), a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, is one of those lawmakers who oppose the rule, saying it “greatly expands government influence and regulation.” “Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle reached out to the Department of Labor for months to express our concerns with the proposed rule,” Byrne said. “Sadly, this rule ignores many of those concerns and risks limiting access to retirement advice. “This rule and its expensive requirements are especially damaging to low- and middle-income families and small businesses. I hope we can work together, in a bipartisan fashion, to actually put reforms in place that help every American save for retirement – not make things harder.” The new rules, is slated to be phased in 2017, with full compliance required by January 2018.
Birmingham mayor issues order to ban criminal history on city job applications
Birmingham Mayor William Bell has issued an executive order to protect applicants for city jobs from automatic disqualification over their criminal records. Bell was flanked by officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Department of Labor and others when he announced the order on Thursday. In his order, Bell said providing jobs for people with criminal histories reduces the risk of recidivism. Bell says the order will not impact applications for “sensitive governmental positions.” According to the National Employment Law Project, 19 states and more than 100 cities and counties have adopted so called “ban the box” policies that block employers from asking applicants about their criminal history during the initial application process. Alabama Sen. Minority Leader Quinton Ross has said he’s proposed a statewide “ban the box” policy. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Selma auto workers asks union to go away
Workers at a Selma auto supplier have signed a petition asking the United Auto Workers union to “leave this business and us, its employees, alone.” About 80 percent of workers at the Lear Corporation-owned Renosol Seating plant signed an April 6 petition asking the UAW to stop investigating a nearly year-long dispute, The Montgomery Advertiser reports. “We do not need this union or any union here,” the petition says. Last May a public relations firm representing the workers said about three-quarters of the plant’s 90 workers had respiratory problems associated with a chemical used during manufacturing. Federal regulators found air quality at the plant to be within federal guidelines, and Lear says some workers are engaging in baseless scare tactics orchestrated by the UAW. Since then, the plant fired one of the workers who spoke out about the claims and is suing her for defamation. The firing has spawned a federal whistleblower retaliation investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The union blasted the recent petition in a statement Thursday, accusing the plant’s management of using illegal tactics to coerce workings into signing it. “It is perfectly clear that the ‘petition’ was misrepresented to workers over the six-plus months that management has been circulating versions of it,” read a statement attributed to the Selma Workers Organizing Committee. Plant production worker Jacqueline Atkins disputed that claim and said management had no role in the petition. “Everybody read it and signed it of their own free will,” Atkins said. “We were not forced. We were not tricked. Nobody threatened us any kind of way.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press. Photo Credit
