California Drops Wage Dispute Charges Against BYD's Electric Bus Factory

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff

China’s BYD Co. has announced that a California labor law watchdog had dropped charges against it over wage issues regarding the payment of Chinese nationals working for the company’s BYD Coach & Bus subsidiary in the United States. Reuters is reporting that California’s Labor Commissioner’s office in October accused BYD of failing to pay five Chinese workers temporarily working in the United States the required minimum wage of $8/hr.

According to BYD, the labor commission withdrew the wage case against the company’s electric bus building facility in California after BYD produced documents that showed its workers were paid the equivalent of $12 to $16 (73 to 97 yuan) per hour. While that case was withdrawn, the labor commission had objections to the company’s practice of paying wages in yuans, rather than in U.S. currency and BYD has agreed to pay to pay a fee of $1,900 (11,500 yuan) to resolve the matter, it said.

Other aspects of the Labor Commissioner’s investigation will continue. BYD denies allegations that employees’ check stubs failed to include necessary information and that eight employees were denied rest breaks.

As Chinese companies locate operations in the United States and Europe they are discovering that they have to operate under more stringent industrial regulations and labor laws than they are used to back home.

BYD currently employs 50 local workers in California and says that it plans to add 100 more next year to fill contracts already signed to supply electric transit buses to the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach as well as to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.

TTAC Staff
TTAC Staff

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  • Pastor Glenn Pastor Glenn on Feb 03, 2014

    So much for "bringing needed jobs to California". Hiring in Chinese nationals helps our American economy exactly how? I'm pretty sure there used to be a barrier to US Government entities as well as states and other local governments, where they had to buy American goods. Obviously that idea is old hat now. Perhaps any nation which desires to trade with America should have their items treated in exactly the same way as American items shipped to THEIR country. Just a random thought.....

    • Mandalorian Mandalorian on Feb 04, 2014

      After work they eat at local restaurants and buy things at supermarkets. They rent/buy houses and apartments,etc. All that money goes into the local economy. I don't like it either, but at least it's something.

  • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Feb 03, 2014

    Dear UAW: This is why we don't need you any more. This issue was resolved without decades of attached wages lining the pockets of union fat cats. Signed, Auto workers

  • Detroit-Iron Detroit-Iron on Feb 03, 2014

    Why are there Chinese nationals being paid in Yuan in the USA? @SCE what does this have to do with the UAW? Those people could not have unionized anyway, their families back home would have been sent to "re-education camps" if they tried.

    • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Feb 03, 2014

      The point is that the freedom of information we enjoy today (internet), plus the abundant labor laws in force to protect workers, plus worker mobility, means unionization is no longer necessary.

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