Letters to the Editor
To the editor,
Recent publicity and advertising space given to the promotion of new apparel manufacturing companies as “sweatshop-free” requires some reflection and response from those of us who have seen apparel marketing campaigns come and go. These new companies are not defining or promoting their product, but, rather, their social position.
Social positions are taken every day by running businesses legally and effectively. Social responsibility should not be capitalized upon at the expense of the reputation of the industry that has made a significant contribution to the employment base of Los Angeles.
The industry is the “ladder up” for those with limited education and an otherwise bleak future. With on-the-job experience and personal growth, any person’s dedication to his or her future is the ticket to upward mobility.
Many representations of this industry portray “sweatshop” conditions as indicative of a typical garment manufacturing facility. It is not! The typical facility is a workplace where people are paid fair wages and factory conditions are consistent with a manufacturing environment. Overtime is paid as required by law; OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] violations are minimal or nonexistent.
The vast majority of California’s apparel makers make no use of sweatshops. The legitimate manufacturers and contractors repudiate these illegal operations as unfair competition to domestic manufacturing, while doing their best to use only the most professional sources internationally. Global sourcing is now an integral part of our industry and the variables of international labor law compliance are being addressed.
Yes, there are those in the business of manufacturing apparel who do not have a “social conscience” or the propensity for operating their businesses in a legal manner. However, to proclaim that anyone and everyone who is not doing their business “your” way is a culprit is quite naive.
Social responsibility is something that the industry’s responsible citizens deal with every day in their businesses without making it the issue of an advertising slogan. Ilse MetchekExecutive directorCalifornia Fashion Association
