Abuses in Garment Industry

The article on widespread abuses in the garment industry (Sept. 28), as told in the words of those who sew our clothing, is an important reminder that our sweatshop crisis in Los Angeles continues, even as our memory of enslaved Thai workers fades.

The Times is obligated to report the industry standard response: that the abuses “are confined to mostly unregistered shops operated by unscrupulous entrepreneurs,” that these abuses are, in the words of California Fashion Assn. Director Ilse Metchek, “aberrations” and that to imply otherwise is “ridiculous.”

Unfortunately, The Times did not cover the release of the U.S. Department of Labor survey of the L.A. garment industry on May 27, 1998, in which it was reported that a survey of 70 factories, randomly selected from the thousands of registered garment factories in the Los Angeles area, revealed that 61% of registered factories were breaking basic wage and hour laws, with 54% violating overtime laws and 48% violating minimum wage laws.

When thousands of registered sewing shops break the law, it is “ridiculous” to claim the problem is confined to the underground economy or that sweatshops remain an “aberration.” Sweatshops remain the rule in our troubled city. Consumers beware!

STEVE NUTTER

Regional Director

UNITE, AFL-CIO

Los Angeles