Garment workers in the US are paid just $1.58 an hour, according to a report by the US Department of Labor
A survey of Southern California seamstresses and garment makers found that workers who make garments for many of the nation’s top fashion retailers remain frequent victims of wage theft and illegal wage practices by employers.
Los Angeles, the center of the country’s apparel industry, employs more than 45,000 workers. Many of them work in exploitative conditions, face regular wage theft and abuse, and work an average of 55 hours a week without overtime pay, according to Fashion Revolution.
Workers are paid by the number of pieces
Based on data from more than 50 contractors and manufacturers, the department’s Wages and Hours Division found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 80 percent of cases, according to the Southern California Garment study published in 2022. In more than 50 percent of cases, the department found that employers illegally paid workers some or all of their wages underhandedly, with payroll records either willfully falsified or not presented.
The 2022 survey also found that 32 percent of contractors pay workers in the apparel industry piece wages, a practice that the state of California has banned since last year. The contractors and manufacturers covered in the survey produce garments for sale by national retailers, including Bombshell Sportswear, Dillard’s, Lulus, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Socialite, Stitch Fix, and Von Maur.
The truth behind ‘Made in USA’
“Despite our efforts to hold employers accountable in Southern California’s apparel industry, we still see people making clothing sold by some of the country’s leading retail chains working in sweatshops,” said Ruben Rosalez, Wage and Hour Regional Administrator in San Francisco, “Many people who buy clothes in stores and online are probably unaware that the ‘Made in the USA’ merchandise they are buying was actually made by people far fewer earn more than US law requires.”
Investigators found that a contractor paid workers in the garment industry just US$1.58 an hour, about the same as the low wages workers in Bangladesh are paid.
Global inflation continues to take its toll, and not just on US-based garment workers. Last month unions in Bangladesh called for an increase in the minimum wage from 8,000 Bangladeshi taka to 23,000 Bangladeshi taka (about 200 euros) for garment workers as inflation in the country is soaring and workers are barely over make ends meet.
Unlawful Wages
The U.S. Department of Labor has found that the sewing surcharges paid by manufacturers to contractors are, on average, insufficient to pay workers the prescribed minimum wage. Specifically, the research found that the average sewing fee was $2.75 below the amount required per garment to meet state wage standards. Contractors who legally paid their workers received a higher sewing fee, ranging from $17.50 to $35 per garment.
“The findings of the Southern California Apparel Study highlight why more outreach and enforcement are needed to address injustices in the apparel and fashion industry,” Rosalez said. “The Department of Wages and Hours continues to engage with stakeholders and industry stakeholders “Work together and focus on holding accountable the manufacturers and retailers who rake in sizeable profits, while all too often the people who’ve done the hard work aren’t getting the rewards they deserve.”
Source: US Department of Labor
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.com.