I don’t remember his name, but his story has stayed with me. Last fall I listened in on a press conference featuring a man who had been incarcerated in Alabama. He was the spokesman for a report by Columbia University’s Labor Lab: The Impact of Incarcerated Labor in Hyundai’s U.S. Supply Chain. What I learned that day was chilling: this man had worked under harrowing conditions for Hyundai in Alabama. And now, Louisiana State University is touting a partnership with Hyundai including, in part, workforce development.

Is this the best we can do? The press release about the project relied on the same inflated jobs numbers promised by Hyundai. But remember, the state does not follow up to make sure that promised jobs actually materialize.

Meanwhile, alleged questionable labor practices depress wages. As noted in the report: “We find that a 10% increase in the share of incarcerated workers in a plant is associated with a 10-14% drop in wages for free workers.”

The Hyundai steel plant is not about good jobs for regular people in Louisiana. It’s about enriching a few people as we give our state away to yet another foreign corporation. A simple Google search reveals the controversy surrounding Hyundai, including forced labor allegations (children and migrants, too). Surely, university leaders can do better.

Thank you for standing with us,

Anne Rolfes
Director