Electric-bus manufacturer accused of labor violations
The Build-Your-Dream Motor company (BYD Motors), a Chinese electric bus manufacturer in California, had previously been convicted of labor violations in Los Angeles and Lancaster, California for paying Chinese-nationals who worked as employees in the plants as little as $1.50 per hour. The California Department of Industrial Relations has already ordered back pay for 22 employees and $80,000 in fines, but labor activists and community groups believe that further action should be taken. The groups are calling for Long Beach Transit to withdraw from doing business with BYD Motors and invest in a more ethical company. According to BYD Motors, it still has until August of 2015 to meet its requirements under its contract with the city of L.A., before the contract can be terminated without payment legally.
See "Electric-bus manufacturer accused of labor violations", Jovana Lara, ABC News, October 31, 2013