When Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced two years ago that South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group was going to build an electric vehicle plant near Savannah, he celebrated the nearly $8 billion deal that promised to bring more than 8,000 well-paying jobs for hard-working Georgians.
Last week’s federal raid at the Hyundai Metaplant, and the EV battery facility that is a joint venture between Hyundai and Korean-company LG Energy Solution, partially lifted veil on murkier aspects of the state’s largest economic development project. Federal officials detained approximately 475 foreign workers – approximately 300 of whom were Korean — during an ongoing investigation into illegal labor practices.
The Current GA has published numerous stories about misleading wage claims and workplace safety problems at the sprawling, 2,300-acre site on which Hyundai has assembled a complete supply chain of companies. Each are separate legal entities but all have a role in meeting the employment and wage targets that the state of Georgia received in exchange for the $2 billion in state tax credits and abatements agreed to between the Kemp administration and to Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, the company that oversees production at the metaplant.
- Photo story: Bryan County’s Hyundai Metaplant holds grand opening
Prior to last week’s raid, HMGMA said it was not responsible for the actions of its suppliers and subcontractors that The Current’s reporting showed were allegedly in violation of federal workplace safety laws. On Friday, Hyundai announced that it was bringing a senior executive to supervise the firms amid the ongoing federal investigation at the battery plant…