Recent Investigation of New York City Contractor Shows that Major

Apparel Brands Are Still Not Dealing Adequately with Sweatshop Problem



    NEW YORK, July 24 /EMWNews/ -- UNITE HERE calls upon the

apparel industry to recognize that their corporate social responsibility

programs are failing to solve the systemic problem of sweatshops among

their contractors. Yesterday, the New York State Department of Labor cited

an apparel contractor for over $5 million dollars in unpaid wages, showing

that the sweatshop system continues unabated.



    (LOGO: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070817/CLF013LOGO )



    "This latest investigation shows that horrible sweatshop working

conditions are still present in New York City and that the apparel industry

is still not taking this issue seriously," said Bruce Raynor, General

President of UNITE HERE, the apparel and textile workers union. "The major

apparel brands that were using this factory all have social responsibility

systems that have failed to detect this major sweatshop operation."



    The factory that was recently cited, Jin Shun in Long Island City, NY,

has operated under a number of different names, and was found to have

underpaid more than 100 workers over several years. The Department of Labor

stated that the contractor kept false records and coached its workers to

lie to inspectors. The investigation also revealed that workers routinely

worked twelve-hour days, six to seven days-a-week.



    UNITE HERE calls upon the apparel industry to recognize that sweatshops

will continue to exist as long as the major apparel brands pressure their

contractors relentlessly for the lowest prices and unless workers are a

central part of the solution.



    "Workers should have the right to organize unions to fight for better

working conditions, and the major apparel brands and contractors should

respect this," said Raynor.



    Information from the New York State Department of Labor investigation

of Jin Shun can be found here:

http://www.labor.state.ny.us/pressreleases/2008/July23_2008.htm.



    UNITE HERE is a labor union representing 465,000 workers in the

apparel, textile, hotel, food service, gaming and laundry industries.