I know we've all heard about sweatshops...we're know they're bad, but they're old news. A few scandals rocked the news in the mid '90's (the infamous Kathie Lee Gifford and Wal-Mart situation) and now, I think a lot of people just assume that they were all taken care of. Or that at least there are not any operating in the US and surely the big names don't use them, because if they did, wouldn't we hear about it or wouldn't they be stopped? Well no, no, no, no, no.
There is still a lot of sweatshop action happening here, abroad...well known brands, and not so well known brands alike.
Just so everyone is clear, I'm just going to share some basic info about sweatshops.
What are sweatshops? a workplace (usually factory) in which workers are extremely exploited. This usually means they don't get benefits, often work in deplorable and/or unsafe conditions and don't even make a living wage (enough to cover basic needs like food and shelter).
What is sweatshop labor like? generally workers labor 60-80 hours per week, without making enough to even put food on the table. Conditions can be dangerous and unhealthy with conditions like rodent infestation, broken bathroom facilities and harmful chemicals. Often workers are harassed, intimidated and forced to work back to back shifts without any breaks.
Why do sweatshops exist? because companies want to drive down costs any way possible. To minimize costs, they look for places with the lowest wages and human rights protections.
It's a lot easier to imagine these kinds of conditions in various third world countries, but this stuff is going on right here in America too, good 'ol land of the free.
Studies found that 67% of Los Angeles garment factories and 63% of New York garment factories violated minimum wage and overtime laws. The same studies revealed that 98% of L.A. garment factories violated workplace health and safety standards by operating under conditions such as blocked fire exits, unsanitary bathrooms, and poor ventilation. Over 50% of these shops can be considered "sweatshops."
Even knowing this information, it's still easy to immediately exempt our favorite brands. Clothing we love couldn't possibly be the product of someone's abuse. Well, we need to think again. I've taken most of this information from one website, www.dosomething.org, however there are countless others with endless lists of details about many well known companies.
Wal-Mart, JC Penney, Sears, Lord & Taylor, Filene's, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Guess?, Nike, Disney, Reebok, Phillips-Van Heusen, the Gap, Liz Claiborne, Ralph Lauren
Many of these companies contract manufacturing firms to produce their goods, and they think this allows them to claim "oh I didn't know!" But yeah right...they dictate the labor standards of their manufacturers when they demand low prices. What's worse is that foreign governments, as well as our own make this kind of practice easy for companies! Foreign governments set minimum wage well below what is needed to meet basic needs so that corporations will do business in their countries. Our own U.S. Labor Department only requires internal monitors, which means companies hire their own people to check out conditions....no outside accountability. Even when companies get caught with violations, all that happens is they get a fine...a fine so minimal they hardly notice compared to how much money they save by exploiting workers.
So here, a basic introduction for you!
info found here
photo from here
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