"MADE IN USA" SWEATSHOPS
Out in the Pacific Ocean, on a chain of fourteen islands known as the US Com-monwealth of the Northern Mariana Is-lands, a $1 billion garment industry has been booming since the 1980s. Thousands of garment workers live and toil in deplorable conditions, working up to 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and earning $3.05 an hour or less, often without overtime pay. Yet, the clothes these workers sew carry labels that say "Made in the USA."
After World War II, the US won control from Japan of the Northern Mariana Islands (the Marianas). Because of the Marianas' limited economic base, the US delegated control of minimum wage and immigration laws to the Marianas' government. The US also provided for duty-free imports of products into the US and no quota restrictions. Last year alone, the federal government estimated that contractors and US retailers avoided more than $200 million in duties for $1 billion worth of garments shipped from Saipan, the main island of the Marianas. With no US import tariffs, no US quota restrictions, a minimum wage of $3.05, and lax immigration laws, the Marianas have attracted a host of foreign investors from China, Korea, and other nations who produce clothes for some of the biggest brand-name labels, at the cost of exploiting workers.
Indentured Labor
Over 90% of garment industry jobs in the Marianas are held by foreign "guest workers," predominantly young women from China, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Thailand. With promises of high pay and quality work in the US, workers agree to repay recruitment fees from $2,000 to $7,000, trapping them in a state of indentured servitude. They often must sign "shadow contracts" waiving basic human rights, including the freedom to join unions, attend religious services, quit, or marry.
Poor Working/Living Conditions
In the last five years, contractors in Saipan have received more than 1,000 citations for violating US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, many of which were characterized as capable of causing death or serious injury, including blocked exits, fire hazards, unsanitary restrooms, and exposed electrical wiring. The crowded, unsanitary factories and shanty-like housing compounds are in flagrant violation of federal law. The heat in some factories is so extreme it can cause workers to faint. Many live in a room with up to seven other people in inward-pointing, barbed-wire-enclosed barracks. Their movements are strictly supervised by guards, and they are subject to lockdowns or curfews. Complaints about the conditions are met with threats of termination, physical harm, and summary deportation. The right of employees in the US to form unions for collective bargaining is recognized under the National Labor Relations Act. However, the Marianas' government and garment factory employers have been staunchly anti-union and anti-worker. In 1996, the Marianas' government shortened the time period allowed to file claims of unpaid wages and overtime compensation from two years to six months. Despite this, the recent presence of the National Labor Relations Board on the Marianas has given workers an avenue to pursue their labor claims, and the number of grievances has been increasing. In 1996, 60 unfair labor charges were filed, affecting up to 2,000 employees. More recently, nine grievances were filed against the Sako Corporation, one of which charges the company with threatening to close down if the employees unionize and denying overtime wages to union supporters. The Marianas' government has coordinated an extensive public relations campaign to promote its economic growth and escape improving its labor laws. In the last two years, over 90 members of the House of Representatives, their aides, and family members have been flown to Saipan on "inspection visits" which have included stays at resort hotels and visits to golf courses and coral reefs. These so-called inspection visits have convinced Republican members of Congress that working conditions in Saipan are acceptable. It is our responsibility as consumers to let garment companies and lawmakers know that the exploitation of workers in Saipan must stop.
Who Profits from Sweatshops in Saipan?
Some retailers and manufacturers in Saipan:
· The Gap, Inc. (Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy) · Levi Strauss & Co.
· Dayton-Hudson (Target, Mervyn's, Marshall Fields)
· J.C. Penny
· The Limited
· The Associated Merchandising Corp.
· Lane Bryant
· Brooks Brothers
· Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
· The Talbot's, Inc.
· Woolrich, Inc.
--from SWEATSHOP WATCH, 310 Eighth Street, Suite 309, Oakland, CA 94607 <sweatwatch@igc.org>