Labor Commissioner Turns Out for CFA Summit
Labor law enforcement and pressing issues regarding labor in California were some of the topics of the recently held “Apparel Summit,” organized by the California Fashion Association and held at the California Market Center, which houses the California Mart.
The June 26 summit was sponsored by California Apparel News andManatt Phelps Phillips. Speakers included California Labor Commissioner Art Lujan; attorney Stan Levy of Manatt Phelps Phillips; Lonnie Kane, co-owner of Karen Kane; and Carol Pender of CSCC Consulting Services Inc., Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. chief operating officer Barry Sedlik served as moderator.
The panel fielded questions from the audience, including one concerning the proliferation of the underground apparel industry from Vera Campbell, owner of Los Angeles-based Design Zone/Knit Works. Campbell said moderate companies such as hers are struggling to compete with underground manufacturers that don’t comply with labor laws and are able to sell their collections at much lower prices.
Campbell offered to take Lujan on a tour of Los Angeles’ underground apparel district—an offer Lujan accepted.
“We’re targeting that [underground] element, but we’re just at the tip of the iceberg,” said Lujan.
The state’s task force will continue to target registered and unregistered manufacturers and contractors, said Lujan, adding that the increase in registration fees has been earmarked for administration costs to process claims faster and increase the number of monitors working in the field.
The Department of Industrial Relations Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) is also planning to work with other state agencies, including the Employment Development Department, by forming a new labor agency to help streamline investigations, said Andrea Kuhn, deputy director and liaison for the DLSE.
If a new labor agency is created, it could help create training programs or allocate funds to existing programs, where it could be applied to existing workers or new hires, added Kuhn. She also said the DLSE is planning to hold a focus group on apprenticeship programs later this summer.
Pender rounded out the discussion with information about Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Initiative (C-TPAT), a program that shifts compliance issues from the importer throughout the supply chain to help monitor and secure each step of the production process through point of destination.Pender urged importers to visit the customs Web site [www.customs.ustreas.gov/enforcem/tpat] for more information. The CFA is planning to host a seminar on C-TPAT titled “The New Face of Importing” in July. —Claudia Figueroa
