Los Angles Garment Industry

A report was completed by the Garment Worker Center (A Worker's Rights Organization) in LA in September of 2015.  They surveyed 175 garment reports and found the following issues:

"Nearly 40% saw rodents or cockroaches in their workplace. Approximately 80% of garment workers did not receive health and safety training prior to beginning work, and nearly half reported they did not have access to first aid should a workplace injury occur. One out of every three workers surveyed reported not having clear access to emergency exits.  Some shared that the exits were blocked with fabric or boxes while others reported not knowing where the exits were at all.  22% of workers said their workplace was poorly lit. 21% of garment workers have seen physical or verbal violence in the workplace. 6% experience sexual harassment in the workplace. Half of the workers surveyed responded that their factories have poor ventilation, and approximately 30% reported lack of clean drinking water provided on site. The LA garment industry leads all other industries in wage theft, with a 58% minimum wage violation rate!"  Piece rates are as low as 4 cents. For example, "two trimmers, a finishing operation, who filed wage claims at the GWC, for example, received on average $1.90 per hour for their work. 62% of garment workers indicated working daily overtime hours, but because of the piece rate many are not paid proper overtime.  48% work 10 hours or more a day. Almost a third of garment workers reported not being allowed to take rest breaks when they needed them."

I can't say I'm really surprised by these findings.  Disappointed, yes. Surprised, no.  Looks like I will have to take a much closer look at any purchases I do make.  I had previously thought that if I bought something made in the USA that I would have the reasonable expectation that the worker's would be fairly treated and paid. 

Next I'm going to look at some made in USA clothing manufactures and see how they stand up.

(By the way www.garmentworkerscenter.com website has a catalog called Shop with a Heart with several really cute items for purchase. When I get around to buying again I'll re-visit their offerings.)



Health and Safety in LA Sweatshops (2015 Report) www.garmentworkercenter.com