LABOR

Apparel Makers Not Off the Hook: A federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled that apparel firms that contracted with an El Monte apparel maker accused of running a sweatshop cannot shield themselves from responsibility for back wages for the workers if they helped create the substandard working conditions at the factory. U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins, in a decision made public Thursday, ruled against a motion by firms including Mervyn’s and BUM International to dismiss a lawsuit filed by 70 Thai workers who were discovered in August by authorities who allege that the workers were toiling in slavelike conditions. Civil rights attorneys said the ruling was a major victory for exploited workers’ rights.