Sweatshops are often difficult to distinguish from regular factories due to the disguises made by those who run them. In a recent CNN article, Laura Batchelor covers the investigation performed by the New York Labor Department of a garment factory company with sweatshop wages and working conditions. This factory produced merchandise for companies such as Macy’s and the Gap. The New York Labor Department stated that 100 employees were underpaid by approximately $3 million in the last three years.
Many factory supervisors force their workers to lie to investigators regarding their hourly wage and the amount of hours they work. Workers are often told that the factory will fail without their lies, leaving them unemployed. In this specific case, the workers were forced to follow a “cheat sheet” that covered lines to recite to investigators. There were two separate time cars that employees were to fill out, one starting on Monday, and the other on Wednesday. When labor investigators asked for these cards, they were presented with only one.
October 30, 2008 at 12:31 am
Hi Tori, it’s Krystal from class. I sit in front of you most days.
It’s interesting how at the end of the article Limited Brands says that they have a “zero tolerance” for unfair working conditions like the ones described. I wonder, however, what action is being taken against this factory. It’s true what you said about how sweatshops are hard to recognize in the US due to “camoflauge” tactics by managers and employers. I like your post.