A Stitch in Time Really Works

In the best of times, stricter enforcement of sweatshop abuses would be the best way to deal with a growing problem. But more enforcement costs money, and the state has a budget crisis, so Gov. George Deukmejian should at least sign the measure on his desk. It would toughen the liability of garment manufacturers for abuses committed by their subcontractors.

The legislation, sponsored by Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica), comes in response to recent revelations of widespread labor violations in sweatshops, which once were concentrated in downtown Los Angeles and now are moving into Orange County and other suburbs.

It would add responsibility to an industry that has a reputation for blatantly exploiting workers. As a recent Times series pointed out, thousands of seamstresses work for a pittance to support California’s $6-billion garment industry. Most are immigrant Latinas or Asians who are too naive or frightened to defend themselves.

Some manufacturers invite abuses by hiring subcontractors at rates that can’t possibly cover minimum wages. Also, the industry is riddled with “stitch-and-ditch” subcontractors who are undercapitalized, or simply unethical, and who disappear without paying owed wages.

Despite awareness of the abuses, garment industry representatives strongly object to Hayden’s bill, saying it’s nearly impossible to keep an eye on subcontractors, and that the cost of doing so would force many manufacturers into bankruptcy. Instead, they urge stricter government enforcement of current laws. But state enforcement, already on the decline, is likely to erode further under this year’s budget cutbacks.

Current state law provides for some joint liability, but only if the subcontractor is not registered with the state. Hayden’s bill, AB 3930, would put manufacturers on notice that they must carefully screen all those with whom they contract. That won’t erase the problem, but it will inject some measure of accountability into the process.