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Justice Says Company Tried To Silence Whistleblower– Feds Going After Hyundai Supplier For Allegedly Obstructing Safety Investigation (1 hr. Video, Picture)
Judge grants DOL request for temporary restraining order against major seat manufacturer that tried to silence whistleblower
Selma, Ala. – An Alabama federal judge Thursday issued a temporary restraining order against a major supplier to Hyundai that had threatened workers who spoke out about health and safety concerns and fired a whistleblower.
The judge’s decision came a day after the U.S. Department of Labor, in a decisive move to protect workers’ rights, charged Lear Corp., which manufacturers seats for Hyundai, with interfering in a federal investigation over dangerous conditions at its Selma, Ala., plant.
The DOL’s complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, charged the Hyundai supplier with “flouting the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s protections by threatening, frivolously suing, and suspending or terminating employees” who have spoken to federal investigators about health and safety concerns at the plant.
“The secretary’s [U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez] current investigation and future enforcement action are threatened with irreparable harm if defendants are allowed to continue to retaliate against the company’s employees through its acts of intimidation for engaging in protected activities,” the DOL wrote in its complaint. “Such threats, if successful, will prevent witness participation not only in this investigation and enforcement action, but also in other cases by deterring other workers from exercising their right to communicate with the government without fear of retaliation.”
The Selma facility manufactures foam cushions and headrests for Hyundai, which requires the use of the hazardous chemical TDI. The chemical can cause severe respiratory illness and lifelong asthma if handled without proper precautions. morehere
Them feds better be doing a quick about-face right now and go after the real perps. That will possibly save their a– in the next iteration.