1. Researched by Scott Jenkins, Janisa Jenkins, and Daniel Bowers
A Look into Sweatshops
Researched by Scott Jenkins, Janisa Jenkins, and Daniel Bowers

2. Introduction What we will cover… History of Sweatshops
Guilty Companies
Why are they using them?
Countries that benefit
Conclusion
Solutions
What is a sweatshop?
“-a shop or factory in which employees work for long hours at low wages and under unhealthy conditions.”
We didn’t know very much about this issue
Had heard that some companies were guilty, but
to what extent were they guilty?

3. History of Sweatshops In the 1800’s we had sweatshops here in America
We were Europe’s “China” back then, as “China” is to America
Immigrants coming from Europe
Factories popping up all over the eastern United States
Chances of becoming a landowner higher for immigrants
Sacrifice pay for the chance to come over here, future generations

4. Irish and German Immigration
½ of the population of Ireland came to the US
Less than ½ of the population of Germany came
Due to civil unrest, severe unemployment, and famine
From 1820 to 1870, over 7 and ½ million immigrants came to US
That’s more that the entire population in 1810
Came with nothing but their skills and labor
America exploited this to the fullest

5. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
Owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, who survived by fleeing to roof
Surviving family member got $75 for their family member deaths
These two men were prosecuted for manslaughter, 146 people died
They were acquitted by the jury
The insurance company paid the owners $60,000 or about $400 per causalty
71 people where injured

6. Unions
“The Great Revolt” 60,000 workers united to fight for their rights
International Ladies Garment Workers Union
Beaten, shot, scolded by family, but still prevailed
Successful in obtaining those rights
Rights included wage and hour standards
Progress in stages

7. Public Eye
Exploiting workers in America started to become unacceptable
In 1938, President Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
Enforced to this day
Set minimum wage
Required that after 40 hours of work each week you would earn overtime
These were all good steps for American jobs, but the US Dept of Labor says,
“…that over 50% of registered garment contractors are paying less than the minimum wage, many do not pay overtime and some allow workers to operate in unhealthy and unsafe conditions. Anyone who tries to protest these unacceptable conditions are fired.”
In 1995, 72 Thai immigrants worked under slave-like conditions in LA

8. What companies are guilty of using sweatshops and why?
Greed is the answer
They hire slaves for pennies an hour to maximize profits
Example of this
In the US, a sweatshop worker makes about .25 cents per garment, they sell this garment for $18. That is roughly 70 times more than what the worker was paid to make the garment.
If they were to raise their wages to .50 cents per garment it would be a livable wage for those workers

9. Nike in the Spotlight
In 1998, faced allegations of worker abuse in Vietnam
Reporting showed that Nike couldn’t control how the workers were treated because they didn’t directly run the factories
Supervisors were found abusing workers
Salary for the workers only provided enough for food and shelter
96% of workers said they could not meet basic needs because they didn’t make enough money.
Even if the wages were competitive compared to other foreign shoemakers, in 1998, this didn’t make it right

10. Pros and Cons of Sweatshops
Infringing on basic human rights
Cheap labor
Being asked to work extended hours without overtime pay
Cheap overhead costs
No HR department
Being charged or fined for not doing work or overtime
Created jobs market in 3rd world countries
Quotas very high, difficult
Lowered unemployment
No sick days or vacation
Creating hope for poor
Unhealthy conditions
Alternate to crime and prostitution
Unsafe conditions
Unpopular

11. Conclusion Supply Chain Vicious Cycle
Going after sweat shop is harder than it looks
Fight must come from within
Corporations need to have more responsibility for their supply chain

12. What can we do? Get educated and know more about current events
Check the labels for “Made in XXXXX”
Join an organization to fight against sweatshops
Boycott companies who participate or hide behind the “We didn’t know”
Buy locally or only “Made in USA”, but even if you buy everything from here that doesn’t make it a guarantee that it wasn’t made in a sweatshop
Spread the word