Check the designer label on your shirt: on August 3, 1995, California labor officials asked the public to do just that. The occasion was a press conference held to announce the liberation of a sweatshop in the Los Angeles suburb of El Monte. Seventy-two Thai immigant workers -- many of whom had been taken directly from the airport to the shop -- had been trapped inside, working 16-hour days to make clothes for stores like Macy*s and Filene's.
At night, the workers were locked up and guarded. During the day, they were forced, hour after hour, to sew garments. Their $1.60 per hour wage was used to pay off "transportation costs". They were repeatedly threatened and two workers who tried to escape were beaten and sent back to Thailand. For nearly three years the garment factory continued to operate in this fashion, unnoticed.
But early one morning in 1995, immigration officials stormed the compound. Six people were subsequently charged with peonage, or involuntary servitude involving repayment of debts. Bolstered by national press coverage, the victims quickly recieved assistance from aid groups. Labor Secretary Robert Reich took legal action against manufacturers and retail chains, demanding full wages for the ex-slaves. They eventually won a $4 million out-of-court settlement.
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