Sweatshops Today!?!?!

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Since these sweatshops were discovered, other companies have been charged with using sweatshop labor in the U.S. and around the world including Nike and Gap.Sweatshop laborers work around 60-80 hours per week and are not paid enough money to put food on the table; they sometimes receive only pennies a day for their labor. Usually, the sweatshop environment is unsafe, for workers are harassed, intimidated, forced to work overtime, and made to work in dangerous and unhealthy environments, even while sick. Workers handle toxic chemical paints, solvents, and glues without any safety equipment. Sweatshops are a product of the global economy and so-called "free" trade. Companies increase profits by driving down costs any way they can , so they set up low-cost factories. To minimize costs, companies look for places with the lowest wages and human rights protections. Sweatshops can be found all over Central and South America, Asia, and certain regions of Europe. There are even undocumented workers in sweatshops in places like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.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%!o(MISSING)f these shops can be considered "sweatshops."

U.S. companies with ties to sweatshops

Many U.S. retailers have ties to sweatshops, which are usually foreign owned and operated.

• Wal-Mart, JC Penney, Sears, The May Company and Federated Department are five U.S. Corporations that rely on sweatshop labor.
• The May Company owns and operates Lord & Taylor, Hecht’s, Filene’s and other companies.
• The Federated Department owns and operates Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Burdine’s, Stern’s, etc.
• Guess? Clothing Co. is one of the worse offenders according to the Department of Labor. They have been cited for labor abuses and are suspended indefinitely from the Department of Labor’s list of “good guys” because their contractors were cited for so many sweatshop violations.”



Then there are those companies who set up operations overseas to get around U.S. labor laws. Nike, Disney, Wal-Mart, Reebok, Phillips-Van Heusen, the Gap, Liz Claiborne and Ralph Lauren are some companies that have set up operations overseas. These companies get away with exploiting workers because the Department of Labor only requires that companies have “internal monitoring policies.” Therefore there is no way of knowing whether companies are telling the truth or not. Companies like Nike pay private accounting firms to come into their factories and assess the working conditions as “independent” monitors.” Even when these companies are caught infringing on workers rights they don’t receive harsh punishment.

The alternative to a sweatshop

Corporations set up sweatshops in the name of "competition". In reality these corporations are not facing profit loses or bankruptcy, just too little profit! During this century, workers real wages have gone down while CEO's salaries have skyrocketed. In 1965 the average CEO made 44 times the average factory worker. Today, the average CEO makes 212 times the salary of the average worker. The problem is that corporations have skewed priorities. Expenses like CEO salaries and advertising costs are put before the well-being of their workers. In 2007, Mark G. Parker, CEO of NIKE, raked in $6,227,968 in total compensation (according to the SEC). In 2007, NIKE’s advertising budget was $678 million. Realistically, Nike could pay all its individual workers enough to feed and clothe themselves and their families if it would just devote 1%!o(MISSING)f its advertising budget to workers' salaries each year! Corporations falsely claim that they are victims of the global economy when, in fact, corporations help create and maintain this system.

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