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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: 202-219-8211.
Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich today released a letter
sent to the nation's major clothing retailers and manufacturers encouraging
them to notify his department of their efforts to eradicate sweatshops.
Reich plans to announce Nov. 24 the names retailers and
manufacturers who are working proactively to help the department close
sweatshops, which present a major threat to legitimate factories in the U.S. He
said some retailers and manufacturers have already been identified for
recognition and will be honored on the list as "Fair Labor Fashion
Trendsetters."
"Consumers are telling us they want to know how to protect
themselves from purchasing merchandise that might have been made under abusive
conditions," Reich said. "We plan to provide that information to holiday
shoppers who are concerned about this issue."
In his letter to some of the largest fashion and garment
firms, Reich asked for information about "programs and systems that your
company has adopted to help your contractors and suppliers comply with our
nation's labor laws."
The department has been encouraging retailers to actively
monitor the labor law compliance of all suppliers and manufacturers. More than
22,000 registered sewing and garment shops operate in the U.S. and employ more
than 850,000 workers, while the department has only 800 labor investigators to
police 6.5 million workplaces in the U.S.
Many of the nation's largest retailing firms met with
Reich in New York in September to discuss cooperation in stemming sweatshops.
Reich applauded the retailers' efforts to better educate and train suppliers,
but he said their offer fell short of the need for greater industry involvement
in assisting law enforcement in its effort to end sweatshop abuses.
"This initiative -- which I care about personally, and as
Secretary of Labor -- would not only highlight good practices, programs and
systems as models for other companies to emulate, but also reassure American
consumers that the goods they buy are made by companies that treat their
workers with decency," Reich said in the letter.
Reich also said the department would continue its
enforcement crackdown on sweatshops across the country and its use of the hot
goods provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act to prevent shipment of goods
produced illegally. Under hot goods, garments produced illegally can be stopped
from shipment to retailers until workers have been paid wages owed as a result
of violations of minimum wage and overtime laws
Reich announced today the results of recent enforcement
action in Dallas and New York. In New York, more than 40 workers received over
$30,000 in back wages. In Texas, the department went to court today seeking a
temporary restraining order to prevent the shipment of goods produced
illegally.
Reich said department investigators were notified by New
York garment workers that they had not been paid for a month by garment
contractor Glory Fashions. The garment contractor had been hired to sew skirts
for manufacturer Vision Apparel USA Inc. The skirts were destined for retail
outlets owned by The Limited Inc.
Investigators immediately contacted Vision Apparel USA and
informed the manufacturer that pursuant to the hot goods provision of the Fair
Labor Standards Act, the apparel order could not be shipped until the workers
had been paid. As a result, Vision apparel immediately paid more than $30,000
to cover the wages owed to the workers.
Attached: Text of Reich letter to Retailers and Manufacturers.
November 3, 1995
Dear :
I would greatly value your assistance in an effort to showcase
which garment manufacturers and retailers are providing good working
conditions and combating labor abuses. This initiative -- which I care
about personally, and as Secretary of Labor -- would not only highlight
good practices, programs and systems as models for other companies to
emulate, but also reassure American consumers that the goods they buy
are made by companies that treat their workers with decency.
The dramatic changes occurring in the apparel industry have been
the subject of much recent media attention. Although many stories have
focused on egregious abuses and intolerable working conditions in a
portion of the industry, we know there are many companies that are
providing good working conditions and assiduously weeding out abuses by
suppliers and others.
I believe we need to publicly recognize companies that make decent
working conditions a priority, and that know this is both the right
thing to do and good for business. A number of retailers and
manufacturers have already shared with me some of the steps they have
taken to eliminate labor abuses in the United States and abroad. Later
this month, I intend to showcase these good practices of responsible
manufacturers and retailers to safeguard the working conditions of
hundreds of thousands of apparel industry workers.
Please share with me information about programs and systems that
your company has adopted to help your contractors and suppliers comply
with our nation's labor laws. For example, if you have a company code of
conduct, how do you disseminate it to all of your suppliers? What types
of education or technical assistance do you provide to communicate your
commitment to a high standard of compliance with safety and other labor
laws? You may send this information to my office, to the attention of
Ms. Maria Echaveste. Please let us know by November 17. If you have
questions, or would like further information about this initiative, do
not hesitate to call her at (202) 219-8305. I look forward to hearing
from you, and working with you and other apparel industry leaders, and
thank you for your prompt consideration.
Sincerely,
Robert B. Reich
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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