A Wren Says

A recent report from the US Department of Labor revealed that many garment workers in California factories are essentially employed at sweatshops. As Adegeest writes in the article for Fashion United: “Division investigators unveiled one contractor paid garment workers as little as 1.58 per hour, nearly on par with the low wages received by Bangladeshi workers.” In addition to low wages, workers also were subjected to long hours and abuse.

We, meaning people concerned about worker’s rights, are consistently concerned about conditions in factories out there in distant lands. We focused on sweatshops and potential child laborers, but that focus was limited to Asia. It is a problem that continues to be in the news, talked about on college campuses, and worked into casual conversations. But as problems go, it is much easier to notice everyone else’s instead of your own.  

My concern is this. When I read Made in the USA on a label, I translated this to mean, “Workers were paid well and fairly.” Perhaps that was always a foolishly optimistic assumption, but this report has shattered that. If I want to get serious about buying ethically made clothing, I have to suck it up and pay more attention to what is happening stateside and likely in Europe as well.  It means holding retailers accountable. And that also means I have to be comfortable paying more for items so that hopefully higher wages can be paid out. 

I am by no means an expert on this topic. I am also not great with confrontation, so I have to give credit to those who are doing this advocacy work. However, I want to learn more about this topic and see which brands are proactively making change. 

Here’s the article from Fashion United if you are interested:  

Adegeest, D. (March 31, 2023). American garment workers paid as little as 1.58 dollars per hour. Fashion United. https://fashionunited.in/news/fashion/american-garment-workers-paid-as-little-as-1-58-dollars-per-hour/2023033139193