Products labeled 'Made in USA' might create an assumption of decent labor standards. However, this isn't always the case.
In the bustling heart of Los Angeles, a city renowned for its fashion industry, there's a 73-year-old woman named Maria who has been a part of the scene for almost three decades. With a warm, grandmotherly presence, she works in a garment factory as a trimmer.
Maria communicates with her boss, known as Mister or Missus, in a mix of English and Spanish. She wears little grandma sandals and has a white flower tucked behind her ear, a simple yet endearing touch that speaks volumes about her character.
Despite her age, Maria's job is demanding. She gets paid 15 cents for every garment she works on. This piece rate pay system, while common in the garment industry, has been deemed unlawful in California for the past four years.
The trimmer's job is to cut off all the leftover thread from the garments. But the pay is not enough to cover her basic needs, a common challenge faced by many garment workers worldwide, including in the U.S.
A simple bra like the one shown could have taken 13 different garment workers to make. Thirty cents times 13 people would mean, theoretically, workers were paid $3.90 to make a basic bra. However, this is far from the living wage required for food, housing, and healthcare.
Garment workers are sometimes asked to clock in and clock out even though they do not get paid by the hour. Factories may coach workers on what colour the paycheck would be if they got a paycheck to avoid being caught by state investigators.
While there is a push for fair pay and ethical practices, many workers still receive pay that is insufficient to guarantee a decent standard of living. Unethical factories may compel workers to work overtime under threat of job loss, and workers may have little choice due to low base wages.
Lynn Booraday, a researcher at Oklahoma State University, has previously helped determine U.S. garment workers' pay per piece. She states that an 18-inch seam takes a specific amount of seconds to make. Yet, this time translates into meagre wages for workers like Maria.
Ethical garment manufacturers emphasize fair pay at living wage levels, reasonable working hours without forced overtime, and regular audits of working conditions and safety standards. However, many factories worldwide, including some in the U.S., struggle with transparency and do not disclose living wage information or adhere strictly to ethical standards.
Audits and ethical certifications are key indicators of better conditions, but widespread issues remain in the industry. The fight for fair pay and ethical practices continues, with the hope that one day, workers like Maria will earn a living wage for their hard work.
- The government in California has deemed the piece rate pay system used in Maria's workplace unlawful for the past four years.
- A recent news report revealed that garment workers, including Maria, often face challenges in earning a living wage despite working long hours.
- In the arena of health-and-wellness, mental health and workplace-wellness discussions, there has been growing concern over the impact of low wages on the wellbeing of garment workers.
- Policy-and-legislation proposals have been put forth in an attempt to address the issue of fair pay in the fashion-and-beauty industry, with a focus on lifting workers like Maria out of poverty.
- General-news outlets have reported on the ongoing efforts to improve conditions and promote ethics in the garment industry, including efforts to raise awareness about the importance of living wages for workers' overall health and well-being.
