Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., convened a roundtable in Dayton, Ohio, with former Fuyao Glass America employees after the company refused to comply with his congressional oversight inquiry. The gathering, held at the headquarters of the Industrial Division of the Communications Workers of America (IUE-CWA), revealed accounts of hazardous conditions and labor violations at the plant outside Dayton.
Khanna, the ranking member on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, initially requested documents from Fuyao Glass America and its parent, Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co., Ltd., in July. The company responded on September 23 with a letter that Khanna criticized in an October 1 correspondence as failing to answer material questions or submit documents. Despite this silence, Khanna traveled to Western Ohio to hear directly from those who left the factory.
Tiffany Moore, who worked at Fuyao for three years, described the heat as unbearable and cited a language barrier that prevented effective communication with Chinese supervisors. She noted that when she attempted to leave the company, she had to use clandestine measures to avoid retaliation, including sneaking out to complete orientation at Duramax, a General Motors-owned engine manufacturer. Moore stated that Fuyao management would terminate employees for any reason if they gave standard two-week notice.
Demetria Hodges, another former worker now at Duramax, recounted an incident where a Chinese forklift driver she believed was unlicensed struck her. She claimed the company acted as if it did not know who the driver was when she pursued a lawsuit and workers' compensation. Hodges and other workers stated that Chinese employees were often treated more poorly than their American counterparts, facing restrictions on communication and being frequently rotated in and out of the plant via bus.
The former workers also detailed efforts to suppress unionization. Darrell Jones, a former employee, said supervisors threatened to revoke health insurance if workers joined a union. Hodges added that the company offered a one-time pay increase of $2 an hour to employees who voted against a planned unionization referendum. Jones recalled a supervisor warning that if a union formed, the company would shut it down.
The discussion also touched on the 2018 death of Ricky Patterson, a 57-year-old factory worker who was crushed by glass while loading it onto a forklift. Jones described Patterson as shaky following the recent death of his mother. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined Fuyao $7,000 in an informal settlement for the safety violation that led to Patterson's death. Sam Sanders, president of IUE-CWA's local Dayton chapter, shared a memory from a deceased colleague who had warned that one should "expect deaths in that plant."
Khanna stated that he believes new standards are needed for foreign businesses purchasing or building factories in the United States. He argued that foreign investors must comply with American safety standards, labor neutrality laws, and anti-discrimination regulations. The congressman said he hopes to craft legislation to reform the process allowing foreign companies to buy U.S. factories with limited oversight. He also advocated for an industrial development bank to support domestic manufacturing.
Fuyao Glass America and Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co. did not respond to requests for comment.