HAZARDS, NEGLIGENCE, AND ABUSE IN THE APPAREL MANUFACTURING
INDUSTRY:
LABOR CONDITIONS FROM 1910-2015
A thesis submitted to the College of the Arts of Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Arts
by
Emma Peterson
May 2016 ii
Thesis written by
Emma Peterson
B.S., Kent State University, 2014
M.A., Kent State University, 2016
Approved by
______Nancy Stanforth, Ph.D., Advisor, Thesis Committee
______Gargi Bhaduri, Ph.D., Member, Thesis Committee
______William Perrine, M.A., Member, Thesis Committee
______Denise Easterling, M.B.A. Member, Thesis Committee
Accepted by
______Catherine A. Leslie, Ph.D., Coordinator, Graduate Studies, Fashion School
______Linda Hoeptner Poling, Ph.D., Coordinator, Graduate Studies, The School of Art
______J.R. Campbell, M.F.A., Director, Fashion School
______Christine Havice, Ph.D., Director, The School of Art
______John R. Crawford-Spinelli, Ed.D., Dean, College of the Arts iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF FIGURES ...... v
ABSTRACT ...... vi
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ...... 1 1.1 Factory Incidents in History...... 1 1.1.1 New York Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire ...... 1 1.1.2 Bangladesh Fires ...... 2 1.1.3 Bangladesh Factory Collapse ...... 3 1.1.4 Foxconn Suicides ...... 4 1.2 Problem Statement ...... 5 1.3 Purpose of Study ...... 5 1.4 Importance of Study ...... 6 1.5 Research Questions ...... 6 1.5.1 Statistics ...... 7 1.5.2 Health and Working Conditions ...... 7 1.5.3 Companies and Costs ...... 8 1.6 Definitions...... 8
II. LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 9 2.1 Industrialization ...... 9 2.2 Factory Conditions ...... 10 2.3 Physical and Psychological Impacts of Occupational Hazards ...... 12 2.3.1 Vulnerable Populations ...... 13 2.3.2 Suicides ...... 15 2.4 Strikes ...... 17 2.5 Labor Laws ...... 19 2.5.1 Staging Inspections ...... 20 2.5.2 Subcontracting and Homework...... 21
III. METHODS ...... 23 3.1 Data Collection ...... 23 3.2 Data Analysis and Coding ...... 26 3.3 Limitations ...... 27 3.4 Ethical Considerations ...... 29
iv
IV. RESULTS ...... 31 4.1 Data Analysis ...... 31 4.2 Major Themes and Patterns ...... 33 4.2.1 Collapses ...... 33 4.2.2 Fires ...... 35 4.2.3 Child Labor & Homework ...... 36 4.2.4 Other Hazards ...... 38 4.3 Research Questions ...... 39 4.3.1 Statistics ...... 39 4.3.2 Health and Working Conditions ...... 44 4.3.3 Companies and Costs ...... 49 4.4 Summary ...... 52
V. DISCUSSION ...... 54 5.1 Recommendations ...... 54 5.1.1 Infrastructure ...... 54 5.1.2 Training...... 56 5.2 Conclusion ...... 58 5.3 Suggestions for Future Research and Action ...... 60
APPENDIX ...... 62
REFERENCES ...... 87
v
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure ...... Page
1. Data Search Results ...... 31
2. Data Collection ...... 32
3. Fires by Year ...... 36
4. Fires by Decade...... 36
5. Child Labor by Year ...... 37
6. Child Labor by Decade ...... 37
7. Other Hazards by Year...... 38
8. Other Hazards by Decade ...... 39
9. Incidents by Hazard Type ...... 40
10. Type of Incident by Year ...... 42
11. Type of Incident by Decade ...... 43
vi
ABSTRACT
This study was designed to identify apparel workplace hazards in factories all over the world. Identifying harmful conditions through qualitative content analysis using New York
Times articles from the year 1910 until 2015 uncovered common themes in workplace hazards with the objective of ridding factories of harmful conditions to preemptively ensure the safety of workers. The data was documented in a timeline which highlights incident location, date, and conditions, as well as consequences such as injury rate and costs. Results revealed incidents occurring in countries going through the industrialization process and showed how these locations changed over time. The results of this study will help the fashion industry identify conditions that lead to harm and prevent future incidents, as well as further academic studies on ethics in the workplace. 1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Since the ready-to-wear apparel industry began to boom in the 1920s, and even before then, injuries, harassment, deaths, and suicides have been caused by poor working conditions in factories all over the world (National Institute of Standards & Technology, 2009). Even though technology and labor laws have both progressed, similar tragedies repeat themselves throughout history.
This study aims to uncover hazardous working conditions by investigating harmful and
fatal incidents that have occurred in the fashion and apparel industry. Researching these events
and finding common workplace conditions present in such incidents will lead to a heightened
awareness of which conditions may need to be changed or avoided to prevent employee harm.
The examples of incidents that follow demonstrate the need and importance of studying the
apparel industry through such fatal events. These events include factory fires, building collapses,
and suicides.
1.1 Factory Incidents in History
1.1.1 New York Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out in a building in New York City. This building
housed the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, the biggest manufacturer of lightweight shirts in the
city (McEvoy, 1995). The Triangle factory took up the top three floors of the ten story building.
The ninth floor was locked off from the stairwell to prevent theft, despite the legal regulation that
factory doors were to be left unlocked throughout the day (McEvoy, 1995). When a reported
cigarette or match was tossed into a pile of scraps, the flammable cellulosic material the shirts 2 were made from did nothing to prevent the fire from spreading. A few workers were able to take the elevator to safety before it broke down; 30 corpses were found in the elevator shafts
(McEvoy, 1995). Others ran out to the fire escape, which was designed with the escape doors swinging outward, resulting in blocking the path continuing down to the next floor. Three months earlier, the NYC fire commissioner had declared the building to be a firetrap, noting that the fire escape by the topmost floors was critically loose (McEvoy, 1995). Indeed, the fire escape collapsed with the workers trapped on it. Many others jumped to their deaths, and 62 bodies were found on the pavement outside of the building (McEvoy, 1995). Up to 50 bodies were found crammed against the ninth floor's locked doors, a total of 146 fatalities caused by the Triangle
Shirtwaist factory fire (1995). Even though firefighters were at the scene within one minute, they could do little to help as their ladders only reached the sixth floor. The fire burned out in 20 minutes, but became one the most recognized disasters in America's apparel manufacturing history.
1.1.2 Bangladesh Fires
A similar situation occurred more than 100 years later in Bangladesh. On November 24,
2012, a factory outside of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh and home to a large sector of the garment manufacturing industry, caught fire, killing more than 100 factory workers (Bajaj,
2012). The fire was said to have possibly been caused by a cigarette or electrical flaw (2012).
Unfortunately, the Bangladesh garment industry has a record of poor fire safety, and lacks the preparedness to avoid injury. There was no direct road for the fire trucks to reach the factory in a timely manner, and there were too few factory exits to allow for a safe evacuation (Bajaj, 2012).
Although the majority of the workers had left the factory for the day, 600 employees stayed 3 behind to work overtime (2012). The first and second floors harbored the most deaths due to the lack of exits; workers on upper floors were able to escape using bamboo scaffolding left from construction taking place on the top three floors of the nine story building (Bajaj, 2012). This
Bangladesh factory fire was not the only one of its kind. Since 2006, over 500 Bangladeshi workers have died in factory fires (Bajaj, 2012).
1.1.3 Bangladesh Factory Collapse
Less than one year after the series of Bangladesh factory fires, 2013 brought about what is regarded as "the deadliest disaster in the history of the garment industry" (Yardley, 2013;
Bolle, 2014). On April 24, a building in Rana Plaza, also in Dhaka, completely collapsed killing over one thousand workers.
All deaths and injuries could have been completely avoided if the factory owner and managers had taken the advice of an inspection team who had visited the building just the day before the collapse. An engineer found cracks in the building indicative of foundation issues
(Yardley, 2013). Furthermore, the top four floors had been built illegally without permits and likely were not up to code (Manik & Yardley, 2013). The upper floors had been added to accommodate thousands of garment workers and big generators had to be installed as well
(Yardley, 2013). It had been the generators that shook the building hard enough to cause cracks, but the factory bosses dismissed any concerns of danger (Yardley, 2013). The businesses on the lower floors, including a bank and shops, shut down after the warning, but garment factory workers were told they would not receive payment if they did not show up to work (Manik &
Yardley, 2013; Bolle, 2014). When the generators were switched on that Wednesday morning, 4
the building collapsed, buckling under the pressure, resulting in what was reported to have felt like an earthquake (Yardley, 2013; Manik & Yardley, 2013).
1.1.4 Foxconn Suicides
In 2012, a protest against conditions at Foxconn, a series of factories in China that manufactures goods for Apple, HP, and Sony, stood apart as a much more serious issue than other protests. Although not an apparel factory, the incidents at this technological factory inspired the present study. On January 2, about 150 factory workers went to the roof of the building and threatened to commit suicide (Moore, 2012). The conditions of sweatshops and many factories around the world are so grating on the workers, they not only cause physical harm, but also lead to deterioration of mental health. Mental illnesses, like depression, can become so unbearable they ultimately lead to suicide. This particular suicidal protest at Foxconn was resolved without any deaths, but just two years earlier, 18 Foxconn workers attempted suicide by jumping from factory roofs, with 14 of them succeeding in death (Zhang, 2012; Chan
& Ngai, 2010; Moore, 2012). The cause of this event, according to Foxconn employees, was the poor implementation of a new training program (Moore, 2012). Roughly 600 employees were moved to a new production line, assembling Acer computer cases. However, due to the lack of training, these employees were overwhelmed, especially with how fast the assembly line ran.
One employee testified, "We were put to work without any training, and paid piecemeal . . . The
assembly line ran very fast and after just one morning we all had blisters and the skin on our
hand was black. The factory was also really choked with dust and no one could bear it" (Moore,
2012, para. 6). 5
In response to these suicides and protests, China's government and representatives from companies utilizing Foxconn's services wrote off the incident, claiming that Foxconn is not a sweatshop because its suicide rates are lower than the Chinese average. Incidentally, as a whole,
China has the largest number of suicides committed each year, a total of 287,000 annually, making up about one-third of global suicides (Roberts, 2014). Instead of resolving the underlying issue, Foxconn hired counselors and put up safety nets around some of its factories (Moore,
2012).
1.2 Problem Statement
Most measures implemented to help avoid factory accidents come after the fact. The response is usually to 'patch up' the situation. If there had been a few pre-emptive changes regarding each of the incidents outlined above, then there may not have been much to report. If the doors had remained unlocked at the New York Triangle Shirtwaist factory; if fire trucks could have reached the Bangladesh factory in Dhaka faster using a better road; if the added floors in the Rana Plaza building had been built to code or if the employees had not been forced back to work; and if employees at Foxconn had been eased into a new job with a training program, then much of the ensuing consequences could have been avoided. Many articles regarding sweatshops and factory working conditions merely describe the conditions or the aftermath, but few of them seem to analyze data to find patterns.
1.3 Purpose of Study
The purpose of this study is to examine, through content analysis, the conditions of apparel factories and sweatshops that lead to physical and mental harm, and to identify patterns 6
in these relationships. By analyzing news articles throughout the past 105 years, the most vulnerable countries reported can be identified, and shifts in factory accidents through history can also be explored. This will help the apparel industry better understand the magnitude of the issues and encourage companies to seek preventative action.
1.4 Importance of Study
This study is essential in exposing human rights violations and safety concerns in
factories around the world. Finding patterns of where violations occurred, what conditions led to
violations, and how changes have occurred throughout time can help benefit present and future
factories, as well as the millions of people affected by them. Future businesses and factories can
avoid the conditions or situations that have been prevalent in past tragedies. Although the
potential prevention of loss of life is an obvious importance, businesspeople may need to be
persuaded further to implement costly changes in order to improve conditions in factories. The
human cost is not the only consequence of factory hazards; monetary costs weigh heavy on
victims, factory owners, and retailers depending on how they are held accountable. Current
businesses can use the findings as encouragement for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR),
and a direct assessment of what needs modifying in order to provide a healthy work environment and save on potential costs or fees. Researchers further interested in Corporate Social
Responsibility and stimulating improvement can follow up with more in depth studies.
1.5 Research Questions
This study will focus in depth on various factory situations such as environmental hazards and cases of exploitation that may lead to a decline in mental and physical health. 7
It will also examine any laws which hinder or help factory conditions change over time, the costs
of each incident, and the companies involved. Studying each factory incident as reported in previously published articles should lead to the answer of each research question. The research questions in this study are broken down into three sections. These sections include statistical information regarding factory accidents such as location and time, health problems from working conditions, and details about companies involved like their responses and the costs they face.
1.5.1 Statistics
RQ1a: How many apparel factory incidents have been reported in the New York Times in total
each year since 1910?
RQ1b: Where are labor violations reported to have happened most frequently according to The
New York Times and how have these reports shifted across the globe?
RQ1c: When do violations occur most frequently according to The New York Times and how
have these reports changed over time?
1.5.2 Health and Working Conditions
RQ2a: What is the fatality or injury rate for each reported incident?
RQ2b: What kind of factory conditions have been reported in conjunction with each factory
incident?
RQ2c: What physical health issues have been reported in conjunction with each factory incident?
RQ2d: What mental health issues have been reported in conjunction with each factory incident?
RQ2e: What apparel factory incidents have suicide protests occurred at? 8
1.5.3 Corporations and Costs
RQ3a: What monetary and responsibility costs did factory owners or managers face?
RQ3b: What retail corporations have been linked to the factories involved in hazards according
to the New York Times?
RQ3c: How did involved corporations react?
1.6 Definitions
To better understand the research discussed throughout this paper, a few terms must be explained. Although not mentioned often throughout this study, Corporate Social Responsibility is an important concept to understand as it relates to ethical treatment of workers. There are usually three main aspects to CSR, though there may be more factors according to different sources. These aspects are economics, environment, and ethics (Balabanis, Phillips, & Lyall,
1998). Essentially, CSR is the ability to make a profit in a corporation while also being environmentally and socially responsible. The International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) defines CSR as "a balanced approach for organizations to address economic, social and environmental issues in a way that aims to benefit people, communities and society" (Leonard &
McAdam, 2003, p. 27). Even though each company, journal, article, or organization may define
CSR differently, the main focus is the betterment of the earth through responsible corporate decisions.
9
CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
Any job can lead to health hazards, but in the particular case of factory work, sometimes conditions can be quite costly to workers' health, even deadly. Previous literature has found that not only can occupational hazards of factory work lead to both physical and mental harm, but poor physical health on its own can also lead to mental downfall (House, Wells, Landerman,
McMichael, & Kaplan, 1979; So, 2009; Lam & Johnston, 2014). In turn, these situations can produce change in behavior of employees, including the worst-case scenario of suicide (Joy,
2013). Over the years, and especially after exposure of factory hazards, activism efforts have attempted to change or reform laws to improve the wellbeing of the workers. Still, accidents happen, and have continued to happen throughout decades of manufacturing processes as well as other sectors of the supply chain.
2.1 Industrialization
The Industrial Revolution was not simply a phase that was experienced by The United
States roughly 200 years ago. It has occurred in different countries at various points in time.
What current developing countries like China and Bangladesh are going through now with factory fires and collapses, America went through over 100 years ago as demonstrated by the
Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire. It is particularly important to understand how a country's industrialization is affected by the apparel industry to better grasp how it relates to the intent of this study. Industrialization is defined as "the large-scale introduction of manufacturing, advanced technical enterprises, and other productive economic activity into an area, society, country, etc." ("Industrialization," n.d.). 10
Industrialization of a country is most often begun through apparel production because of
its labor-intensive work and low fixed costs (Gereffi & Frederick, 2010). Apparel is arguably one
of the most global industries as well, so even a garment purchased in one country could have an
impact on a manufacturer in another. No matter the country, labor exploitation has been common
during times of industrialization. Manufacturing products in mass quantities requires huge
amounts of labor. In today's global economy, the demands from consumers and retailers around
the world puts immense pressure on businesses in manufacturing countries to perform with
increased productivity and lower costs, often with the result of putting health and safety on the
back burner (O'Rourke & Brown, 2003). This study uncovered a pattern of heightened accidents
occurring during the shift of domestic production to offshore production in the 1970s, reinforcing
the idea that hazards increase as a country's initial industrialization period develops, due to the
amount of human labor needed to operate the machines.
2.2 Factory Conditions
Many factory conditions such as locked doors, fire hazards, poor construction, poor maintenance, and poor planning are examples of issues that impact workers' lives. Not all
injuries are caused by physical malfunctions or hazards. Some of the harm brought onto workers
is caused by management or even coworkers. The World Health Organization (2001) explains
that there are many causes for hazards in the work environment, including both human and
environmental factors. Such hazards can include abuse, negligence, amount of oxygen, lighting,
emergency exits, and noise. Hazards specific to the textile industry include cotton dust disease,
also called brown lung disease, which is caused by inhaling cotton dust and leads to byssinosis
(UPI, 1969). Further hazards may include injuries due to needles, scissors, or machinery, and 11
forced overtime due to high quantity demands. Even though there may be laws in place to
prevent harm or injury, laws and rules are often disregarded.
In Guangzhou, a city in the Guangdong province in China, a survey among factory workers from several factories was conducted in 2013. Around 70 percent of the females surveyed reported experiencing some sort of sexual harassment in the work place, 15 percent of whom quit because of it (Larson, 2013; China Labour Bulletin, 2013). None of the respondents had reported any of the misconducts, and 8 of them had stated that they would not expect either the factory or the police to care or have time to deal with the situation (China Labour Bulletin,
2013). In countries such as China, sexual harassment is not widely discussed (Larson, 2013). It is said to be common in many workplaces; a very serious problem that is not taken seriously, although it is required to be taken seriously by law (Larson, 2013).
Other conditions imposed upon workers include long working hours, low or withheld pay, and intensity of labor. One study investigated ten electronics factories, nine of which were violating China's labor laws by demanding unreasonable overtime, calculating up to 160 overtime hours per worker per month, far exceeding the 36 hour limit allowed by law per worker
(China Labor Watch, 2012). Reports of not receiving fair compensation for work have been quite common, not only in China, but all over the world. From 1994 to 1996, Russian firms withheld portions of employee wages to the degree of causing economic damage to the country (Desai &
Idson, 1998). More recently in history, China has been known to withhold pay, sometimes
resulting in strikes or walkouts. As many of the factory workers in China's garment district are
migrants, they are required to have work visas. Because of the high cost of these visas and the
cost of transportation to the factory, many employers cover these costs temporarily, indebting the
workers to them (Domoney, 2007). This means the workers are often coerced into handing over 12 their ID and work documents and sometimes have to pay a deposit when starting their contracts
(Domoney, 2007). The workers must then stay at least until their costs are 'paid off,' which may mean forced labor or staying during holidays when they would otherwise be with family. Many times workers' pay is withheld as an incentive to finish an order, one often placed by a company in a post-industrialized country who has dictated a deadline for receiving the merchandise.
The labor in producing these products or garments can be quite intense in a highly demanding environment with an unyielding deadline. Of the ten electronics factories investigated by China Labor Watch (2012), all of them ranked high in intensity. Workers putting together HP products need to have completed an action every three seconds (China Labor Watch, 2012).
Other conditions that lead to such an intense work environment are the short 10 minute breaks workers are allowed once a day, or having to work through those breaks, sometimes missing the only bathroom opportunity they will have until the end of the day (China Labor Watch, 2012).
These intense working conditions, along with other physical and psychological stressors, are more than enough to set a worker into mental instability, as discussed in the following section.
2.3 Physical and Psychological Impacts of Occupational Hazards
Many studies have found a connection between physical wellbeing and mental wellbeing
(Goodwin, 2003). Both physical and mental health can be affected by an employee's work environment. Occupational stress, like that caused by fast-paced and demanding working situations, can lead to mental health issues such as depression. Constantly being monitored and criticized can also have wearing effects on the worker. Furthermore, conditions such as low air quality and bad ergonomics can lead to physical harm, which in turn, can also lead to mental 13 instability. Limiting these stress factors by implementing labor laws and standards may help improve conditions and thus mental wellbeing.
Klitzman and Stellman (1989) found that in the United States offices, physical conditions like air quality, noise, ergonomics, and privacy were linked to psychological well-being. Factory conditions are usually much more wearing on a worker than office conditions. House et al.
(1979) studied a factory that manufactures chemicals, plastics, rubber, and tires. Such factories are subject to physical hazards like fumes, heat, dust, noise, and physical injuries, that can cause stress in a worker. Using self-report methods, House et al. (1979) found that workers' perception of their stress level is positively associated with symptoms such as ulcers, hypertension, chest pain, and heart disease. Due to the nature of factory work, confounding variables such as smoking present themselves more often in factory workers.
Joy (2013) found that occupational stress from factory work impacts not only physical and psychological functions, but behavioral as well. In the case of five tile factories in India, increased smoking, nail biting, teeth grinding, hair pulling, and alcohol or drug consumption were found in workers. Workers also experienced headaches, backaches, tightness in the neck, high blood pressure, and swollen joints as physical consequences of their labor. Psychological consequences include moodiness, irritability, anxiety, anger, feelings of loneliness, helplessness, insecurity, and withdrawal from other people (Joy, 2013).
2.3.1 Vulnerable Populations
So (2009) studied the correlation between stress, work hours, and depressive symptoms in Chinese migrant factory workers. He found significant positive relationships between working hours and stress levels as well as between working hours and depression levels. He also saw a 14 positive correlation between stress levels and depressive symptoms. Most surprisingly, he discovered an important relationship between symptoms of depression and dorm-living in the migrant workers. Lam and Johnston (2014) compared the occurrence of depressive symptoms between registered residents in Shenzhen and migrant residents who moved to the area to work.
They found that migrant workers were more likely to be depressed or to exhibit depressive symptoms than residents. They also discovered that migrants were more likely to smoke.
However, despite the higher amount of stress-related symptoms and behaviors, migrants were less likely to seek help for their depression, possibly due to the limitation of time outside of the factories and dormitories (Lam & Johnston, 2014). These studies show how vulnerable certain populations can be.
Other vulnerable groups of people include women and children. Elson and Pearson
(1981) assert that female labor is less expensive or more productive than male labor. In addition to 'nimble fingers', they are considered "more docile and willing to accept tough work discipline, and naturally less inclined to join trade unions, than men" (p. 93). A study by Ahmed (2004) states that of manufacturing sectors, the garment industry in Bangladesh is the most pervasive employer of women. The study also mentions reasons for a female workforce as low cost, compliant, docile, and dispensable (2004). Women as mothers and caretakers can inadvertently expose children if they work from home or bring their children to work. Sometimes children are relied on to work for an income or to help others with their work. Pollack, Landrigan and
Mallino (1990) discuss risks of child labor as categorized by threats to education and development, and the potential for illness, injury, and chemical exposure.
15
2.3.2 Suicides
It is most alarming when working conditions are so detrimental that workers feel
compelled to commit suicide. There are a plethora of reasons and factors that lead to suicide.
This section will briefly outline some of the theories as to why a fatal response occurs, and then
delve into some of the statistics surrounding worker suicide. The research done for this study
will, however, not try to explain why suicide is attempted, but instead describe the situations surrounding those deaths and other injuries brought on by workplace conditions.
The interpersonal theory of suicide maintains that three variables, perceived
burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and acquired capability for suicide, need to exist for
someone to take a fatal or near fatal action (Hawkins, Hames, Ribeiro, Silva, Joiner, & Cougle,
2014). Hawkins et al. (2014) found that suicide attempts were significantly associated with all
three variables. The emotion anger was also significantly associated with perceived
burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, but not with acquired capability for suicide. Since
occupational stress can lead to psychological changes like an increase in anger as outlined by Joy
(2013), and since anger is significantly correlated to two of the three variables necessary for
suicidal intent as indicated by Hawkins et al. (2014), it is reasonable to suspect that the
conditions leading to occupational stress can also lead to suicide.
The hopelessness theory of suicide indicates that people who are at risk for depression
and suicide have a negative cognitive style (Kleiman, Law, & Anestis, 2014). They associate
misfortune to negative events, so risk of suicide is therefore only stimulated by negative events
(2014). Kleiman et al.'s report (2014) proposes integrating the interpersonal theory of suicide
with the hopelessness theory of suicide. They hypothesized that "perceived burdensomeness and
thwarted belongingness mediate the relationship between negative cognitive style and suicidal 16
ideation" (2014, p. 432). Kleiman et al. (2014) found that while their hypothesis was generally
supported, perceived burdensomeness weighs in more heavily as a factor in the hopelessness
theory. Regardless of the reason why a person decides to end their own life, there are many
important statistics that help support the need for this study.
The factories are not the only sector in a supply chain where physical and psychological
consequences occur in the apparel industry workplace. The agriculture industry has recently seen a rise of lethal consequences. According to Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (2012), over a quarter of a million Indian farmers have committed suicide in the past sixteen years.
Solely in 2009, 17,638 Indian farmers committed suicide, which equates to one farmer every 30 minutes (2012). Goria (2014) reports that from 2011 to 2012, suicide rates among cotton farmers were particularly high. Several studies link this increase of suicides to genetically modified cotton grown in India (Gruère & Sengupta, 2011; RT, 2014). A loss of autonomy and an increase of debt in these agricultural areas are often factors behind these deaths. Because the cotton industry is largely controlled by foreign corporations that encourage genetically modified cotton seeds, as well as control price and quality, costs of goods rise while farmers receive the same amount of income (Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, 2012). Farmers sometimes have to sell their land to pay for the raw goods needed to grow cotton, or more often, go into debt borrowing money to afford cotton seeds or pesticides (2012). Many farmers who commit suicide do so by swallowing these pesticides, leaving the family to take over the debt (Center for Human
Rights and Global Justice, 2012; Goria, 2014; RT 2014). According to Gruère and Sengupta
(2011), the National Crime Record Bureau states that roughly 20% of these suicides are carried out through ingestion of pesticides. Once the family acquires the debt, the children often have to drop out of school to help farm, and family members may even turn to suicide themselves, 17 further escalating the problem (Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, 2012). In addition to ending one's own life out of desperation, these suicides are also a cry for help from the government. The Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (2012) writes, "Farmers . . . now address their suicide notes to the President and Prime Minister, in the hopes that their deaths may force the Indian government to remedy the conditions that have led so many farmers to take their own lives" (p. 1). This again demonstrates the need for change in conditions in the apparel supply chain.
2.4 Strikes
Because these workers are often using suicide as a form of protest, or a spark in which to spawn change, strikes are an important issue to address. According to McAdam and Su (2002), strikes are a type of disruptive event that call for social change. Through many years of activism, protests, and media exposure, sweatshop conditions of manufacturing factories around the world have come to light. This reaches out to consumers who have a critical part in keeping corporations in business. Devastating occurrences such as factory fires and collapses are also eye-opening events that are highly publicized, generating knowledge in the general public, and, in turn, sometimes lead to outrage, activism, and even protests.
Protesting has worked well in inducing change in the past. After 1968 when an explosion killed 78 coal miners in West Virginia, other miners went on strike, effectively shutting down the mines (Seminario, 2011). They requested better protection of safety and health which led to the
Federal Coal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1969, and eventually to OSHA, the Occupational
Safety and Health Act of 1970 (Seminario, 2011). 18
Other occurrences of protest have also worked in the past. What Bartley and Child (2014)
call "naming and shaming" (p. 653), is a tactic used on the back end of the supply chain to
expose retail companies of their sweatshop use. Once a labor problem arises, the company is
publically called out and all violations revealed. This garners media attention and can lead to
activism and ultimately reform and change. Over the years, the increased use of technology and media has led to many severe issues coming to light. Unfortunately, the media exposure has not developed at the same rate as the use of global labor. This allows for shortcomings to appear in
the system.
Perhaps most famous is the case of Nike, who in the 1990s had several claims made
against it. Nike has in the past paid well below minimum wage and has used child labor to
manufacture their products, and will perhaps never shed that image. In 1992, protests arose at the
Olympics, and in 1997, United States college students started to protest Nike, which in turn led
to low demand and decreased sales (Nisen, 2013). In response, Nike had to lay off workers, and
finally realized that changes were needed. Nike implemented better standards, raised the
minimum working age, and improved monitoring of its subcontractors (Nisen, 2013). In 1999,
Nike helped create the Fair Labor Association, a human rights group that brings companies
together to help enforce safe and healthy working environments (2013). It is unfortunate that
Nike's working conditions had to be exposed before directing focus toward its manufacturing
process, but the end result brought better standards to Indonesia and other developing countries' sourcing and production. Other companies that have been "named and shamed" include the Gap,
Walmart, Disney, and Guess (Bartley & Child, 2014). It is expected that future instances of naming corporations can bring attention to problem areas, start activism or protests within the company or general population, and lead to real change. 19
Previous research has explored and dissected protest events and strikes in the past. In fact, protest event analysis (PEA), a form of content analysis, is common in studying social movements as a phenomenon (Fillieule & Jiménez, 2003; Makarov & Rothenhäusler, 2015). It gained legitimacy and popularity in the 1980s as a research method (Fillieule & Jiménez, 2003).
Fillieule and Jiménez (2003) chose to use newspaper sources in their PEA methods since they offer dependable reports of protest events. Perhaps most significant to the current study is
McAdam and Su's research (2002), in which the authors specifically use The New York Times throughout twenty years, from 1960 to 1980, to examine protest events. Bartley and Child (2011) assert that researchers who count protest events rely especially on The New York Times.
Because research has been conducted so intensely regarding strikes, especially as a content analysis of the New York Times, this study will not include instances of strikes since 1910 unless they are also a form of, or coincide with, suicide.
2.5 Labor Laws
Labor laws, usually in place for the protection of workers, differ between countries.
Different countries may agree to comply with certain standards set by such organizations as the
World Trade Organization and the European Union. However, just because a country signs on to such agreements, does not mean that the country will necessarily enforce regulations. With such a high demand for mass amounts of apparel at low prices, manufacturing has been forced to keep costs to a minimum. By dictating final costs, importing countries have forced manufacturing countries to keep wages and other costs down in what O'Rourke and Brown (2003) call the
"global race to the bottom" (p. 378). They mention the quality of health and safety conditions in the workplace as a consequence of these downward pressures. 20
For some countries' governments, it may not be in the best interest of the country to obey
or even sign on to protective labor laws. In the case of China, "The government is simply more
interested in attracting foreign investment, promoting domestic industry, and creating jobs and
taxes, than in protecting workers or the environment" (O'Rourke & Brown, 2003, p. 378). In the
case that a worker is one minute late, they are fined for $3 USD and also lose half their wages for
that day (China Labor Watch, 2012). To some, these workers may just be cogs in the machine,
but there are laws and regulations in place to keep the machine running, even if human rights are
not a priority.
The workers are not always in the best position to stand up for their rights. In places like
the United States, unions are common and strikes are allowed. Under Chinese law, the right to
strike was revoked in 1982 and has not been reinstituted (Domoney, 2007). Unions are not
widely available to join and are often not taken seriously. It is usually not until a problem arises that something is done about the conditions.
2.5.1 Staging inspections
Factory inspections, monitoring, or audits, are often required to hold firms responsible for creating conditions that meet higher standards. Authorized by a country's government, labor laws such as OSHA, or retail companies, factories sometimes undergo assessments to ensure certain laws are enforced (Ruser & Smith, 1988). However, a factory may avoid compliance by hiding evidence or covering up truths during a mandated inspection. One factory moved equipment and machines into trucks so as to not appear overcrowded during an inspection (Clifford &
Greenhouse, 2013). Unannounced inspections help to discover factory violations, but even then, those in charge have ways of announcing inspections to workers, preparing them to act. As an 21
example, some factories in China will play a certain song over loudspeakers to warn underage
employees to run out the back door (Clifford & Greenhouse, 2013).
There are other ways to stage inspections or otherwise trick monitors. One common
method is through the use of time cards. Time cards are classically used to keep track of an
employee's hours. Each worker, assigned a different card, punches or clocks the card in at the
beginning of the work day, and clocks it out at the end of the day. Factory owners may alter
records of hours worked, or even keep two sets of time cards (Greenhouse, 2004; O'Rourke,
2000). Extra sets of time cards can be useful if employing too many people or working them for
too many hours (Finder, 1995; Greenhouse, 2008). One set of time cards is shown to the
inspectors, with a legal amount of employees and legal amount of hours worked. The other set usually contains the actual number of hours worked, so factory owners can also keep a proper record (Sulzberger, 2009).
Along with falsification of documents, there is also the matter of corruption and bribery.
Lack of safety enforcement may be due to bribes. Both inspectors and factory owners can benefit from unreported violations. Accroding to Kolben (2004), inspectors strapped for cash may demand money from factories in violation of the law in return for not reporting the violations.
The inspector gains monetary funds, and the owner, although losing some money, does not get fined or jailed, and is not forced to correct deficiencies. This allows the owner to keep skimming money from workers' paychecks and save on repairs or improvements.
2.5.2 Subcontracting and homework
Orders from a retail firm may be placed with a supplier that meets safety and health requirements. The factory has been inspected, approved, and costs have been dictated or 22
negotiated. However, when this order, or parts of this order are sent from the original established
manufacturing factory to another location, this is known as subcontracting (Mieghem, 1999). As noted by Lorenz (2000), subcontracting reduces costs by sending work to a manufacturer that is less expensive, allowing the contracted factory to save money by reducing production costs.
When production is sent elsewhere, and especially when it is without the retailer's knowledge or authorization, oversights are likely to happen. The question of accountability is up difficult to determine. Many times, cases of subcontracting are discovered through factory incidents.
Retailers respond by brushing off responsibility, claiming the factory was unauthorized to
produce the clothing and that the company has nothing to do with the incident (Koca-Helvaci,
2015).
Another method for sending production elsewhere is known as homework. In the garment
industry, workers take bundles home to be constructed in the worker's home (Leach, 1998). This
could be positive or negative, as workers may prefer this system as the have more autonomy. A
mother may now be able to watch her children, without them being illegally in the factory. At the
same time, homework is hard to regulate, allowing violations and especially child labor to slip
through the cracks. According to Woloch (1994), homework became less of an issue in the 1940s
as it became more acceptable. Although banned in some areas of the world, and accepted
through licensing and regulations elsewhere, homework is a gray area, beneficial to some and
exploitive to others.
23
CHAPTER III
METHODS
Factory conditions are often overlooked until an incident happens. Safety measures should be pre-emptive in nature, to avoid any harm to workers. Most research solely reports on factory conditions after an accident occurs, but this study analyzes those reports in order to find patterns in factory conditions related to mishaps. Finding these patterns helps to identify the workplace conditions that should be avoided. Negating such conditions should lead to a decrease in apparel worker injuries and deaths.
In terms of this study, factory events or incidents were explored through a qualitative content analysis using The New York Times from 1910 until 2015. Data was collected using articles from this news source that related to factory disasters. Since each country reaches its industrial phase at its own pace, if at all, it is important to examine how various countries abused labor at one point or another, and how it has changed over time. Statistical information such as time and place are critical to this study, but facts such as death tolls and length of occurrence are essential as well. Conditions internal to each factory were recorded, such as air quality, forced labor, or any other factor that was reported in the news article. Costs and consequences of factory hazards were documented as well. This provides a more thorough understanding of regional or international situations and culture surrounding each incident.
3.1 Data Collection
The data collected from the New York Times began in 1910. Since the first real exposition of the magnitude of labor abuse stemmed from the Triangle Shirtwaist factory tragedy in 1911, the study will start from that time period. Starting a year prior to this event will allow 24
any reported conditions leading up to the event to be found. Research will begin specifically from January 1st, 1910 and continue until December 31st, 2015. The New York Times is a legitimate source to uncover these facts as it has been documenting global occurrences since
1851. It also has documented its past articles, which are easily accessible through an online archive database. The New York Times does not focus specifically on labor issues, however, it is relatively unbiased for a newspaper publication and is well indexed through several online
sources (Merrill, 1999; Rohner & Frey, 2007).
At this point, it is recognized that a content analysis is often used for a very limited
population and time period. This study is extensive in the fact that it will attempt to analyze labor
abuses for over a century, and around the world. To really distinguish any progress made, a short
time period is not enough. Due to the nature and size of the fashion industry, change is slow to
occur. Centuries ago, a basic procedure for apparel construction was developed and somehow
has not transformed much at all. These processes still involve weaving, pattern work, cutting,
pinning, sewing, serging, washing, drying, and specialty installations such as zippers or snaps. In
an industry that is slow to change its foundations, and especially in one that is more about results
than means, improving human rights may not be a priority. Even established laws are not always
obeyed or immediately followed. Because of this, putting together a timeline of only the past five
years is not likely to yield much information on the progress of human rights. This is why it is
important to study the evolution of ethics in the apparel industry since the first major American
disaster, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Starting at this time shows a concentration of
infractions in the first developing industrial countries such as the United States, and reveals a
change over time to later developing countries like China and Japan, and finally to newer
developing countries with a specialty in apparel, such as Bangladesh, India, and Honduras. 25
Starting in 1910 also shows the lack of international communication in the early decades,
limiting this study to mostly New York areas until the 1970s.
To find the corresponding articles from The New York Times, online archives were searched using certain criteria. Through the university used to conduct this research, the library database which includes New York Times articles was utilized. It uses ProQuest search engine
which can be modified through advanced search techniques. Using the keyword "factory," about
1000 articles appear every year starting at 1910. Over time, the amount of these articles starts to
increase. These results are further limited looking into only the factories which created apparel
products. This is done by adding Boolean terms like apparel, clothing, textile, or garment. The
text of the search contained the specific terms, "factory AND (apparel OR cloth* OR textile OR
garment) AND (labor or conditions)". Document types can also be specified using this search
engine, and for this research, 'Article' and 'Front page article' are limitations that were applied.
Using these filters, results were reduced to approximately 150 articles per year.
These results were reviewed and collected if they related to the study in terms of
incidents, violations, or damages caused by apparel factory conditions. This study denotes
apparel manufacturing as including any factory or building used for the production or
manufacture of apparel products, including dyeing, weaving, and sewing factories, silk mills, and
leather treatment plants, as long as the final product can be worn on the human body. Factory
hazards or labor violations include any case where conditions of an apparel factory caused or led
to any sort of employee harm or health decline. Such health problems include but are not limited
to minor injuries, impaired respiratory health, mental health disrepair, major injuries, and even
death. 26
Articles which lack specifics of an incident, such as date or location, were not included in
the study. Further restrictions of articles collected include acts of war, harm with intent, and
injuries brought on by union protests. Articles detailing such hazards like bombings in war
zones, concentration camps, prison manufacturing, gunshots brought on by personal quarrels,
and throwing of acid by union supporters or agitators were ignored. Conditions must be set in
place through building environment hazards or actions taken by factory owners or managers.
Each article that presented these types of occurrences from the New York Times was saved and documented. An Excel document was kept; for every pertaining article found, dates and locations were recorded chronologically as well as the article title and source. The data from this Excel document can be found in the Appendix. The articles were saved in a folder dedicated for New York Times articles from 1910 to 2015. Once all the articles regarding factory abuses were identified and collected, they were coded.
3.2 Data Analysis & Coding
In order to analyze and find patterns in the articles collected, the data must be coded. To find recurring themes, information in the New York Times articles were categorized and sub categorized through descriptive coding and causation coding. The categories fell under statistics, conditions, and outcomes. Statistics included the information such as date and location.
Conditions were subcategorized into themes such as locked doors, substandard buildings, and air quality. It also included labor laws in place at the time, if mentioned in the article. These two categories, statistics and conditions, were found through descriptive coding. Outcomes or consequences such as fires breaking out, number of fatalities, and length of destruction were detected through causation coding. 27
These details, once found, were reported in the same Excel document made for keeping track of each relevant New York Times article. The statistic, condition, and outcome details conveyed in each article were recorded in the corresponding row. Doing this for every incident and related article allows for a more complete view of the situation. It also allows groupings to emerge through repetition of certain conditions, countries, dates, or other categories. Through this process of coding and analyzing the data, themes and patterns were identified and led to conclusions about the conditions in fashion's manufacturing sector.
3.3 Limitations
The biggest limitation of this study is the source of data. Using only The New York
Times restricts the research to just one media source, which biases what data will appear. This report relies on others' published data, so it is also limited by the extent of others' research.
Which countries, factories, and sweatshops have been investigated previously directly dictates the course of this study. Having more data from one country than another can make the data look skewed, leading readers to believe that the countries with the most data also have the most sweatshops or substandard factory conditions. This may or may not be the case, as other countries may not have been as well exposed to the media in terms of their labor standards.
Many substandard conditions are also hidden during factory audits, so oftentimes a problem can go unnoticed or unreported.
Finding articles from the most exploitative countries was problematic. News of labor
violations, or frequency of reports does not necessarily indicate severity of the situation, only
availability of media in the country. Since it is difficult to conduct experiments or even simpler
research in these types of factory settings, much of the information pertaining to apparel factory 28
abuses are limited. However, many New York Times articles exist, highlighting specific events
and conditions of factory environments that have been revealed to the media. Each of these
articles was dissected to find recurrent themes and patterns. Although this study intended to follow the locations of these hazards, earlier New York Times articles are very limited to a small area range around New York City for some time until communication technologies improve.
New York Times articles are vast using the ProQuest search engine. However, this index only runs through the year 2012. This is a significant limitation to the study. Articles up to the year 2015 and more current publications are available through The New York Times website, using a paid subscription for unlimited access. The results that appear using the same search terms are far less frequent. This may mean the results are more relevant to the study, or it may mean some incidents are overlooked. As a comparison, 76 articles are available for the year 2012 using the ProQuest search engine while 21 articles result from the New York Times website index for the same year.
Another limitation that must be pointed out is the bias of cultural perceptions. As an example, Western thinking may dictate that any factory with poor air circulation may be a sweatshop. However, it could be the case that employees are happier in this factory because they work for themselves. Furthermore, when considering garment work and illegal laborers, it is beneficial to contemplate what other options the workers may have. One garment worker is quoted by Brooke (2004) as having said that factory work is prestigious compared to working at a karaoke bar or nightclub; she earns more money. Many retailers will retract contracts from factories and areas in violation of safety practices, but this often results in workers losing their jobs (Mahr & Habib, 2013). Laborers may then turn to other forms of work for money.
Sometimes they can remain in the garment industry, working for more dangerous factories or 29
ones that pay less. They may enter construction work, or other more dangerous tasks like
prostitution or drug selling (Brooke, 2004). In this case, garment manufacturing may have been
the safest option for the worker. Instead of terminating all business from one of these factories, it
might be more effective for a retailer to invest in more rigid safety practices, ensuring worker
well-being (Mahr & Habib, 2013). Because of these differences in cultures and ways of thinking, this study did not attempt to differentiate between sweatshop and factory, but merely detailed apparel factory incidents throughout time and describe the conditions surrounding such events.
Due to the differences in perspective, and the difficulty of comparing such cultural differences, certain conditions presented in articles were ignored. Since the minimum wage changes throughout time, and is incomparable across countries, details on wages were excluded, unless workers receive no pay, are owed back wages, or children are involved. On the same note, hours and overtime conditions also were left out, especially because some workers choose to work longer in order to earn more money. Exceptions include when no pay is received, no breaks or sick days are allowed, and when labor is forced or related to children.
3.4 Ethical Considerations
The goal of this study is to implement better ethical standards to avoid mistreatment of
humans. Since it relies on second-hand data, no harm or psychological disturbances will come of
apparel factory workers due to this study. That being said, considerations still must take place.
The researcher must have honesty and integrity when collecting and analyzing the data.
They need to report the data correctly and thoroughly. They also must not show bias with the
data they find. This means not leaving out data that could give a country a negative image 30 because of bias, prejudice, or conflict of interest. Skewed data due to researcher error should be avoided completely.
31
CHAPTER IV
RESULTS
4.1 Data Analysis
From the year 1910 until 2015, a total of 15,107 New York Times articles resulted using the search terms on both the ProQuest search engine and New York Times website search engine. The ProQuest database was utilized from years 1910 until 2012 while the New York
Times search engine was used for year 2013 to 2015. Using the collection limitations while searching these articles, 146 articles were found pertaining to the study. This indicates that relevant articles made up less than one-percent of all search results. Figure 1 shown displays the relevance of New York Times articles collected for the study to those resulting from the search results. This line plot shows that search results presented became more relevant during the 1960s and especially after 2005.
Data Search Results 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50
0 1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
# of Articles Resulting from Search # of Articles Relating to Study
Figure 1. Data Search Results 32
This could be due to the improvements in record keeping and terminology used, or that search
engine parameters became more elaborate as communications further developed. In the last
several years of the study, it is very much likely due to the use of the second search engine,
showing that the results found through the New York Times search index are perhaps more
related to a particular search term or phrase.
When the 146 related articles were examined, it was clear that some events were reported multiple times while other articles sometimes cited multiple cases of hazardous occurrences. In
Figure 2, the line plot shows the discrepancies between the reports on events and the actual number of events themselves. Most years are relatively equal in terms of this ratio, while others with significant consequential disasters are usually discussed more heavily. This is especially apparent in the year 1911, when the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire occurred.
Data Collection 14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0 1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
# of Articles # of Events
Figure 2. Data Collection
33
After coding these articles and dissecting the hazardous conditions presented with each
factory, patterns begin to emerge. Studying these patterns will allow conclusions to be drawn, and recommendations to be made.
4.2 Major Themes and Patterns
Through coding these articles, major themes present themselves, especially the theme of types of hazardous events. Four main categories were discovered, which are building collapses, factory fires, child labor, which presents itself with homework, and other hazards. The themes and details of each article's conditions are presented in chronological order by event in the study's appendix.
4.2.1 Collapses
Throughout the time period, only three factory collapses occurred. However, though less prevalent, they may be more fatal than other hazards, as proven by the Rana Plaza factory collapse. The first collapse of this study occurred on September 15, 1959 in Hammonton, New
Jersey. In this case, a wall collapsed due to an excavation hole being dug next to the wall so the building could be expanded (40 Injured, 1959). When the wall buckled, the roof collapsed, injuring 40 workers, one needing hospitalization. Seventy-five workers were in the building at the time of the collapse, mostly women.
The second factory collapse that took place during the 105 year span destroyed Rana
Plaza in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 24, 2013. Six articles were found relating to this event. In the end, 1,129 deaths were disclosed, but the first article coming out hours after the collapse reported up to 142 deaths, grossly underestimating the damages and human lives lost. Although 34 no monetary costs were reported, blame was said to lie with the Prime Minister, factory owners, building owner, and global retail companies. Owners could face homicide charges, resulting in sentences that may include life in prison (Daniel, Quadir, & Ortiz, 2013). The building owner,
Sohel Rana, was arrested after being found near the Indian border after being on the run
(Yardley, 2013a). He was involved in criminal activities including gangs and drug trades
(Yardley, 2013b). His assets were seized, and the public was insistent on execution (Yardley,
2013b). Other substantial conditions that were revealed include falsifying records, malnutrition, forced labor, and child labor. Companies found to be working with factories in Rana Plaza are
Wal-Mart, J.C. Penney, and Mango, who only just started fleshing out order details and mocking up samples. Wal-Mart originally denied involvement and refused to join a safety agreement that was legally obligating. Spokespeople stated Wal-Mart was committed to stronger safety measures (Manik & Yardley, 2013).
The third collapse happened less than one month after Rana Plaza, on May 16, 2013 in
Phnom Penh, Cambodia. One short article discussed how the overweighed mezzanine of one
Wing Star Shoes Factory led to two deaths and eleven injuries. Previous to the collapse, workers were forced to work overtime, with threats of being dismissed if they did not comply. After the collapse, workers, fearful of returning back to work, began stampeding out of the factory when the electricity short-circuited upon their return four days later. This incident led to 20 more injuries, including some workers who fainted, and some who needed hospitalization. No blame is cited.
35
4.2.2 Fires
While there were three building collapses that were reported to have occurred between
1910 and 2015, 25 fires broke out in the same time period. Since there were so many, and since
some were minor compared to others, only the fire related events that have multiple reports will
be discussed here. A full description on each fire can be found using the event chart in the
appendix.
The first major fire of this study was the New York Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire.
Ultimately killing 146 workers, not all bodies were able to be indentified until one hundred years
later (Berger, 2011). Limitations of this study present themselves when articles collected reveal
varying numbers of fatalities, eventually settling on 148 fatalities, two casualties more than the last included article reported. In fact, dozens of articles were found relating to the Triangle
Shirtwaist fire for over a century after it happened. Of these, eight were collected that described the factory conditions within the year that it happened.
Two years later, the Binghamton fire in New York City resulted in five articles written for the New York Times, and 40 fatalities. After this, extensive reports of fires lessened until
Pakistan's 2012 Ali Enterprises fire in Karachi. Four articles detailed this event, reporting 289 deaths. Most of these deaths were due to smoke inhalation, and most victims were surprisingly men (ur-Rehman, Walsh, & Masood, 2012).
The Tazreen fire of Dhaka, Bangladesh, is described in detail during the introduction of this study. Occurring only two months after the Karachi fire, eight articles reported on this event, citing 112 deaths. Before Bangladesh's factory collapse, this was known as the country's worst garment industrial disaster. Interesting is the fact that even though more people died in the 36
Pakistan fire, it was not as well publicized. The distribution of fires throughout the time period
are shown by year in Figure 3, and by decade in Figure 4.
Fires by Year 4 3 2 Fires 1
0
1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Figure 3. Fires by Year
Fires by Decade 10 8 6 4 Fires 2
0
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Figure 4. Fires by Decade
4.2.3 Child labor & homework
In all, 31 cases of child labor or homework appeared in New York Times articles from
1910 to 2015. Of these, 29 involved child labor. Only two indicated homework with no mention of child exploitation, and the rest of the five homework incidents overlapped with child labor conditions. Ten of these cases, over 50% of those before 1995, took place in New York City.
Many others were in New Jersey, while those that came after 1995 were more commonly 37 worldwide. Child labor started being exposed in Honduras, as was so publicized with Kathie Lee
Gifford, Mexico, India, Bangladesh, and Cambodia.
As can be gleaned by Figures 5 and 6, child exploitation, or at least reports of child labor, were most common during the 1990s and the 1920s. The early cases may be in part due to the legality of homework, and how it was accepted until the 1940s, while the later occurrences may be explained by shifting globalization and production moving to industrializing companies, as well as the advancing development of information technologies.
Child Labor or Homework by Year 4 2
0 1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Child Labor or Home Work
Figure 5. Child Labor by Year
Child Labor or Homework by Decade 10 5
0 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Child Labor or Home Work
Figure 6. Child Labor by Decade
38
4.2.4 Other Hazards
The conditions that occur along with various other hazards that did not fit under the categories of collapses, fires, or child labor are examined through research question 2b. One
particular case of interest involved forced labor and virtual servitude.
One of the biggest surprises discovered was the 1995 case of El Monte immigrants. A
criminal labor ring, under investigation since 1992 or earlier, was raided on August 2nd, 1995
(Noble, 1995a). Besides being held captive, surrounded by armed guards, spiked fences, and
barbed wire, 72 Thai immigrants were regularly abused throughout their detainment. Some
workers, kept for years, face continuing health problems due to their time in servitude. Figures 7
and 8 display the prominence of these types of events throughout the years. It can be seen that
earlier violations often fell into the fire or child labor categories, while various other forms of
abuse and hazards present themselves in more recent years.
Other Hazards by Year 8 6 4 2
0 1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Other Hazards
Figure 7. Other Hazards by Year
39
Other Hazards by Decade 35 30 25 20 15 10 5
0 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Other Hazards
Figure 8. Other Hazards by Decade
Another theme that became apparent was that of victimization. Keeping track of the type of people working during each incident, if available, data showed that those involved most in apparel factory hazards were women, children, and immigrants. This finding in and of itself is not surprising and was to be expected. Most interesting, however, was that this pattern seemed to hold true in many places around the world, and throughout the time period.
4.3 Research Questions
4.3.1 Statistics
RQ1a: How many apparel factory incidents have been reported in the New York Times in total
each year since 1910?
RA1a: Using both ProQuest and New York Times indexes to search articles between the years
1910 and 2015, 146 articles related to the study came about from 15,107 total articles
resulting from search terms. However, in terms of incidents and not articles, 139
individual events were found. Three events, or roughly 2% of these describe apparel 40
factory collapses. Twenty-five, or almost 18% detail fires. Thirty-one, or about 22% are
cases of child labor or homework, which are often found together. Finally 80 incidents, or
nearly 58%, are various other hazards, such as poor ventilation, forced labor,
malnutrition, or debt bondage. Figure 4.1.2 helps visualize how the incidents are spread
out through the years. The pie chart below in Figure 9, Incidents by Hazard Type, shows
what different types of hazards appear most often.
Incidents by Hazard Type
Collapse 2%
Fire 18%
Other Child labor Hazards or Home 58% work 22%
Figure 9. Incidents by Hazard Type
RQ1b: Where are labor violations reported to have happened most frequently according to The
New York Times and how have these reports shifted across the globe?
RA1b: Based on the separate categories of hazards as well as all presented hazards in general,
there is a global geographical shift of violations. Since the 1910s starts with very little
communication world-wide, and less interconnectivity in trading than what is seen today,
the world of reporting during the early years was very limited. Most of these articles 41
report incidents that take place in New York City, but some span to New Jersey or
Massachusetts. In regard to fire threats, until 1988, all had taken place in only these three states. Of these fires, twelve or 75% occurred in New York, 62.5% in New York City specifically. On March 31, 1988, South Korea gave the United States its first exposure of fires in overseas factories. The entirety of fires from 2000 until 2015 occurred in foreign countries, four or 57% in Bangladesh, 29% in Pakistan and 14%, just one occurrence, in
Italy.
Building collapses are not common, with only three reported in 105 years. The
1959 incident was in New Jersey, and the ones from 2013 were in Bangladesh and
Cambodia.
Regarding child labor, international news gets reported fairly early in our industrialized history. In 1927, Hankow, China was exposed for high levels of child labor as was Manchuria in 1945. Child labor was prevalent in the United States, occurring here most frequently until the 1990s. The 90s revealed abuses growing in places like Honduras and Bangladesh just as often as it revealed them in New York City, until 1997. Four factories in Los Angeles, California were the last reported child labor charges in the
United States through the New York Times. The 2000s exposed child labor in Mongolia,
Mexico, and India, and the 2010s included Bangladesh and Cambodia.
In general, factory hazards have shifted across the globe over time. As expected, what was once so prominent in the United States started to move in the 1970s and 1980s
to countries in Asia, but changed drastically during the 1990s. Along with the
information age, this could also be due to moving production overseas. The increase of
production in places like Saipan clashed with the growing ethical awareness of 42
consumers in the mid-90s, revealing now infamous accounts, like Nike's child labor
violations and Kathie Lee's broadcasted factory abuses in Honduras. Most surprising
about the shift in violation locations is how often hazards still occurred in the United
States and other industrialized countries. It seems Chinatown and other urban
neighborhoods in New York City were, and still are, prime for labor exploitation.
RQ1c: When do violations occur most frequently according to The New York Times and how
have these reports changed over time?
RA1c: Depending on how the data is grouped, violations occur most frequently during different
time periods. Going by year alone, 2013 has uncovered the highest amount of hazardous
violations. A total of thirteen incidents were found in that year, two counts of collapses,
three fires, two cases of child labor or homework, and six other hazardous situations. The
distribution of incident type by year is shown below in Figure 10, Type of Incident by
Year.
Type of Incident by Year 14 12 10 8 6 4 2
0 1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Other hazards Child labor or home work Fires Collapse
Figure 10. Type of Incident by Year 43
If events, however, are grouped by decade, as shown by Figure 11, Type of
Incident by Decade, then the decade of the 2000s, and not the 2010s is when the most
hazards occurred according to the New York Times. It is important to recognize that four
years' worth of data have yet to be generated, making the 2010s decade incomplete in
terms of comparability to previous decades.
Type of Incident by Decade 40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Other hazards Child labor or home work Fires Collapse
Figure 11. Type of Incident by Decade
It seems unusual that as knowledge of safety matters has increased along with more improvements and regulations, that the amount of hazards would increase as well.
This may not necessarily be the case, as increased reporting of events does not automatically indicate an increasing number of occurrences. One major idea of note is 44
that of enhanced communication. The age of the internet skyrocketed in the 1990s,
allowing for faster spread of news and more reports from around the world. This could
quite likely be the reason to see an increase of reporting of hazardous events occurring in
the last three decades of the study's time range.
4.3.2 Health and Working Conditions
RQ2a: What is the fatality or injury rate for each reported incident?
RA2a: Fatality rates are not common in incidents except when an accident occurs, such as with a
fire or building collapse. That being said, all three building collapses included in the
study caused a total of 1,131 deaths and 1,071 injuries. The data is grossly skewed by
Rana Plaza, but if this data were representative of an average, each collapse would be
responsible for 377 deaths and 357 injuries.
Fires reported in these articles, in total, account for 789 deaths and about 272
injuries across 21 incidents, averaging to 37 fatalities and 12 injuries per fire. Fires with
explosions, counted separately, resulted in 5 deaths among 4 incidents, and 45 injuries.
This translates to roughly 1 death and 11 injuries per explosion. In this case, factory
collapses are shown to be most fatal, but occur much less frequently. Rana Plaza, the
biggest industrial disaster to happen in the garment industry, certainly tips the scales. If it
were not for this particular incident, collapses would comprise an average one death and
35 injuries per incident.
When describing numbers of fatalities and injuries, it devalues the importance of
the human costs. Even the case of one death per incident is still too many. These types of
accidents could be avoided entirely. 45
RQ2b: What kind of factory conditions have been reported in conjunction with each factory
incident?
RA2b: Depending upon the type of incident, various manufacturing conditions repeatedly
present themselves in New York Times articles throughout time. Relating to fires,
escapes are often inadequate, blocked, or nonexistent. The building, especially in apparel
manufacturing, has flammable materials all throughout the structure, increasing the life
force of each fire. In cases where fire escapes are inadequate, workers resort to jumping
from windows, if the windows are not barred. Safety responses also seem quite
inadequate from time to time. Hoses break and extinguishers malfunction or are not
present. Workers waste precious minutes attempting to fight these fires instead of
escaping, or in early cases before alarm systems were widely available, alerting others.
Firemen may have a hard time reaching victims, either because of difficult road systems,
useless lifesaving supplies such as ladders or nets, or inability to reach the fire due to
crowds of escaping workers.
Building collapses often occur with conditions indicative of underlying danger.
Illegal or ongoing construction, cracks in the walls or foundation, and overloading are
indications of a more serious matter. Building collapses appear to be the most easily
avoidable, as many collapse hazards have come up over the years, but were quickly
remedied through the intervention of inspectors and engineers, having factory owners de-
stress the building by shifting loads to less vulnerable areas.
Child labor, as discussed previously, is often found through violations of
homework. Since homework is difficult to regulate, these cases may slip through the
cracks. Many times a child is helping his or her mother with stitching or clipping threads, 46
possibly unaware of the law violation. Other times, the child knows the legality of the
situation, as demonstrated by lies about school being closed or not remembering their
own birthday. Sometimes, the child may have no choice but to work, and making money
through apparel production may be the safest option. If factory conditions were safer,
child labor, even found through established businesses, may not be such a hazard. As it is
presently, malnutrition, stunted growth, tuberculosis, and machine injury reports have all
been found with child labor (Child Workers, 1923; Lieberman, 1945; Kristof, 1998).
Other potential hazards report on the possibilities of accidents, such as fires or
collapses, happening. These often are uncovered with similar violations as when fires
break out or collapses occur. Blocked exits, piles of flammable material stacked high,
lack of sprinklers, or other building code violations are present. A potential disaster that
can be spotted preemptively is a disaster avoided if conditions are remedied.
Less fatal violations highlight conditions like poor ventilation, poor lighting, bad
ergonomics or repeated movements leading to pain. The presence of chemicals can lead
to problems, as well as man-made issues like debt bondage or discrimination. Many
violations are sanctioned by those in charge, whether it involves sexual harassment,
forced overtime, falsifying records, threats of being fired, or monitored bathroom visits.
There is an important issue of corruption and negligence. An extensive list of all
conditions presented within these themes is included in the appendix.
RQ2c: What physical health issues have been reported in conjunction with each factory incident?
RA2c: As previously stated, child labor hazards can lead to health problems like malnutrition,
stunted growth, vision defects, machine injuries, and diseases such as tuberculosis and 47
cotton dust disease. Poor lighting often leads to poor vision, which can be caused by lack
of windows or too harsh fluorescents. Other deteriorating health conditions result from
forced labor or involuntary servitude. The case of El Monte found 72 Thai workers
detained behind armed guards and razor wire fences, some having suffered there for
years. These workers face ongoing health problems, even after being released from their
imprisonment. Workers in contact with chemicals may also experience problems, as was
the case with Nike workers in Vietnam, with 77% suffering from respiratory problems
(Greenhouse, 1997). The same hazards were mentioned three years later as well in a
separate article. The chemical these workers were exposed to, toluene, has been linked to
physical damage in the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system (Greenhouse, 1997).
Physical detriments such as injury or death due to these destructive events have been
described in research question 2a.
RQ2d: What mental health issues have been reported in conjunction with each factory incident?
RA2d: Although not many mental health issues were noted in the New York Times articles
collected for this study, one occurrence was mentioned. In the year 1974, in Nitro, West
Virginia, workers at a rayon plant suffered from carbon disulphide poisoning. One
worker explained the effects of the chemical, describing how he began to act insane and
suspected everyone of watching him (Scott, 1974). Although misdiagnosed with acute
schizophrenic reactions, the presumption of poisoning was supported by similar reports
from several other workers.
48
RQ2e: What apparel factory incidents have suicide protests occurred at?
RA2e: Suicide protests do not seem to be related to the apparel manufacturing industry.
However, there were three articles of interest that should be discussed. In 1952, a fire
occurred in a New York City factory. A truck driver who saw women appearing in the
building's windows did not perceive that they were in imminent danger, but instead
thought these women were trying to kill themselves (Lone Rescuer, 1952). He rushed to
the building to help only to discover the threat of fire. Following through in his mission,
he helped to save dozens of workers.
The second event also follows a factory fire. The first of four articles depicting
Pakistan's Karachi fire in 2012 highlights an inconsolable woman waiting for her worker
son to appear. "If my son does not return, I will commit suicide in front of the factory"
(ur-Rehman, Walsh, & Masood, 2012, para. 9). This is seen as a form of protest or stand
against the conditions of the factory that led to the fire and resulting consequences.
Declaring suicide in front of the factory forces those in charge to have their negligence
exposed to the public. Although this was not a stand taken by an active worker, this
woman ended up a victim as well through the factory's negligence.
The third and most recent event relates most to the question at hand. In 2014, a
phenomenon occurring in Cambodia for years was disclosed through the New York
Times. Wallace (2014) depicts 250 workers who effectively halted production not
through the formal use of protest, but by emphasizing any and all health problems. This
form of mass protest is most unusual as it is threatened at a level of physical harm,
though not to the same extent as suicide. In the article, workers protest their factory
conditions by fainting. Faintings resulted from poor ventilation, heat, chemical fumes, 49
overwork, and food poisoning (Wallace, 2014). The situation, which has been going on
since 2011, is a most interesting way of getting a message of poor conditions through to
management, highlighting the physical effects of factory hazards at the same time not
resigning to the lethal threat of suicide.
4.3.3 Corporations and Costs
RQ3a: What monetary and responsibility costs did factory owners or managers face?
RA3a: Responsible companies face a wide range of costs when hazards, especially those
involving fires, occur. From as little as fines costing $25 in New York, 1956 to as much
as millions of dollars in damages and lawsuits starting mostly in the 1990s, someone
must be held accountable for all the expenses (Fire Head Scores Hazards, 1956; Shenon,
1993). Earlier articles from the 1910s until the 1960s and 1970s primarily focused on
monetary costs. The Birnbaum fire of 1911 was reported to have cost $500 while the
Binghamton fire of 1913 reached costs of $220,000 (Small Fire Panic, 1911; 50 Girls
Die, 1913). Most accidents were have found to generate costs in the hundreds of
thousands of dollars until the Paterson explosion and fire of 1963. This particular incident
cost more than a million dollars, having destroyed not just the factory, but damaging six
residential houses and twenty automobiles (Associated Press, 1963).
The 1960s and 1970s show an increase of responsibility costs. Articles detail
consequences like company executives receiving jail time. Factories have been closed,
and goods seized. Even if a factory owner or manager was making a better profit
exploiting their labor force, those efforts seem in vain once production is shut down. Any
profit gained, and especially those gained through violations, will become null once fines 50
and damages are paid, back wages compensated, machinery confiscated, and workers
taken away by authorities. With the effective elimination of hazardous practices, factory
owners will find it difficult to reopen shop elsewhere in attempts to skirt such payments.
A fully detailed list of each individual hazard and available cost information is available
in the appendix.
RQ3b: What retail corporations have been linked to the factories involved in hazards according
to the New York Times?
RA3b: Most companies involved in factory incidents up through the 1920s were local
companies, more heavily focusing on the manufacturer. Of note, the first retailer
mentioned in connection with a safety hazard was Abercrombie & Fitch in 1929. In
Ossining, New York, Lucy Abercrombie, the founder's daughter was working on a
chemical compound for waterproofing the company's sporting goods. The vat exploded
and set fire to the woman who later died never having regained consciousness.
No other retail company is mentioned in conjunction with a factory incident until
1992, when Wal-Mart was exposed for child labor in Bangladesh. In response, investors
stopped buying the stock, as evidenced by the company's $2.375 loss in stock value
(Hayes, 1992). Wal-Mart continued to be involved with such hazards, more recently
discovered 21 years later in connection to Rana Plaza. As Wal-Mart is one of the biggest
retailers in the world, it would be difficult not to be involved in business matters all
across the globe.
Many other retailers identified were department store chains, like J.C. Penney,
Macy's, Kohl's, Filene's, even Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. Discount powerhouses in 51
addition to Wal-Mart such as Sears, Kmart, and Target were named as well. Those in the
contemporary fashion markets are also not exempt from factory hazards occurring.
Highly branded stores like GUESS, Gap, Eddie Bauer, J. Crew, Donna Karan, Kate
Spade, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and of course, Nike have found themselves in
trouble over subpar conditions in apparel manufacturing factories. A detailed list of all
retail companies related to factory hazards found through the New York Times is
available in the appendix.
RQ3c: How did involved corporations react?
RA3c: Oftentimes, corporations exposed to having been involved in labor violations deny the
connection, or knowledge of involvement, effectively distancing themselves from the
incident. Often citing subcontracting violations, retailers deny responsibility. Companies
that have been shown to repeat this behavior have been Wal-Mart, Gap, Sears, and Nike.
Other heavily branded companies faced with the same exposure and reaction include
Kate Spade, Donna Karan, Sean John, and Diesel. Although these companies try to deny
involvement with violating factories, consumers and mass society hold them responsible.
This leads to outcomes like lawsuits or other high cost consequences.
Other companies, while shocked over factory devastations, accept responsibility
and try to do more to combat these problems. Levi Strauss and GUESS have both been
aggressive in fighting factory violations. GUESS, who came under scrutiny in 1996 and
1997, immediately terminated its relationships with 40 factories in violation of standards,
and also signed voluntary agreements to help pay for back wages owed to workers. Along
with 44 other companies, GUESS helped to raise $7.3 million between 1993 and 1996 52
(Adelson, 1996). Levi's terminated business with Saipan's biggest garment manufacturer
of 1993 after finding unsatisfactory treatment of workers, but continued to produce at five
other of the island's factories.
If companies face enough setbacks, either through decrease in consumer demand,
protests, or action by governments, they may change their behavior. Companies such as
Wal-Mart and Nike, while being some of the biggest violators of labor exploitation,
found they could no longer ignore the problems. After enormous pressure in the 1990s,
both companies have yielded to the global force and now are leading companies in
upholding safety standards. If retailers continue to feel this pressure, or if they value
workers' rights as a priority, there should be no reason for retailers to hide from these
violations, but instead face them head on.
4.4 Summary
Although there appears to be in increase in exploitation over the years based on number of incidents, the results may be deceiving. Apparel factory labor hazards seemed to spike in the
1970s with an increase between 1990 and present day. The 1970s manufacturing decade is defined as a period of shifting production from domestic factories to those offshore. The 1970s is the turning point for America's manufacturing with a very low level of domestic manufacturing
(Morley, 2006). The increase of reports of hazards in the 1990s until current day may be explained by the information age, technologies making worldwide communication much more accessible, as well as growing levels of consumer awareness.
Statistical information showed a high number of domestic violations up until the 1970s, when global incidents became more pronounced. It also showed that of categorized hazardous 53
incidents, child labor is most common, followed by fires, and most rarely, factory collapses. In
regards to physical and mental health, time does not prove to be remedying these violations, as
the most hazardous event occurred in the most recent years. Heightened enforcement of labor
laws appears to be needed.
In terms of companies involved and costs, retailers rarely have paid for damages from
these incidents. However, they do incur damage to their corporate image. Retailers may be blamed for lack of responsibility, often resulting in decreased consumer demand and lower sales, exampled by both Nike and Wal-Mart in the 1990s. Monetarily, these companies are urged by
consumers to donate to victim's funds or implement better safety measure through structural
improvements. The real penalties are to the owners and managers of each factory. Besides facing
jail time, these individuals are often charged with negligence or culpable homicide. They face
large fines for each violation, and more damaging are the repairs needed to fix the building,
equipment, and furniture after a hazardous event occurs.
54
CHAPTER V
DISCUSSION
5.1 Recommendations
After studying detailed descriptions of conditions that are present with apparel factory hazards, certain patterns repeat themselves throughout history. Since this can be demonstrated through this study, many shortcomings of apparel factories or the response to apparel hazards, can be recognized and remedied accordingly. Throughout this study, several have emerged, such as lack of safety equipment, oversight of hazards or environmental conditions, as well as human action or inaction. While investigating these inadequacies, solutions and remediations have also presented themselves.
5.1.1 Infrastructure
For many tragedies, safety has been a big issue when dealing with equipment. Poorly constructed buildings, buildings under construction, or buildings not up to code put not only production workers, but managers, owners, and retailers at risk. Often construction is involved with the collapse of a building. With the first collapse in 1959, a hole was being excavated next to a wall in order to expand. Building owner, Mr. Rana, had additional floors illegally added to his already substandard building, given that it had a weak foundation and was built on swampy ground (Daniel, Quadir, & Ortiz, 2013). This makes building safety all the more important.
When it comes to fires, the building can also be problematic. Even those buildings claimed as fireproof result in death, often due to the flammable material in work rooms and lack of escape options. Fireproof stairs should be mandatory, removing the hazards of rickety stairs or wood catching on fire at what may be the only escape route. As evidenced in many of the 55
articles, especially those at the beginning of the time frame, escape paths are often inadequate.
Even prompt responses by emergency personnel are not always effective. When ladders, safety
nets, and roadways all hinder a fireman's ability to help, alternatives must be investigated. Even
planting shrubbery under factory windows may help to break some victim's falls as they will
inevitably jump if escapes are blocked, however, this would not be an ideal pre-emptive solution.
Many of these hazards can be found and fixed through rigorous building inspections and safety
regulations.
Environmental hazards apparel factory workers face include poor ventilation, poor
lighting, chemical usage, machine usage, and poor ergonomics. Although costly, preemptive
improvements to these hazards would cost less than post event damage control. Air conditioning
and proper filtration systems help with worker breathing issues, as well as the implementation of
proper safety gear like masks, gloves, and even shoes. Machinery safeguards would prevent
workroom injury, saving on valuable time and avoiding having to deal with inspection
violations. Less importantly, but still important in improving working conditions, proper
ergonomics could help with worker discomfort. When someone has to man a machine for hours
on end or repeat the same movement all day, positioning can ease any physical injury the worker
may face.
Also dealing with workroom regulations, child labor, and convenience, a child care
center or daycare on premise would greatly help working mothers, and help protect the child
from underage work or equipment harm (Burns, 1974). A well implemented daycare would provide educational opportunities for the child as well.
56
5.1.2 Training
Along with the physical hazards involved in factory building environments, many
problems could be avoided with better training. Starting with most authority to least authority,
many people, not just workers or managers involved, should be held more responsible for worker
wellbeing.
On the police level, law enforcement should do just that, enforce the law. Many areas are
profitable through corruption, but police should be involved in helping protect the rights of
workers, not adding to the negligence. Inspectors as well, need to hold true to their title, not be paid off through bribes. Several inspectors, as stated by many New York Times articles, lack the training, knowhow, or care to be an effective authority. Inspectors should receive training on building codes, fire hazards, and chemical management. Perhaps having multiple inspectors with an expertise in each area would help avoid work hazards.
Another setback is the attitude of the manager, or owner in charge of the building or work
force. When profits matter more than human lives, a manager who identifies with that
philosophy should not be in charge of so many people. Managers should be briefed in ethics, the
importance of health and wellbeing, and proper treatment of humans. One thought is for retailers
to administer an ethics test to prospective suppliers and manufacturers. Only if the test is passed
does the supplier win the retailer's business. This is a very rigid method, and perhaps many
business deals would fall though this way. However, it would help to stress the importance of
worker safety and emphasize that retailers take the task seriously, so factory managers should
follow through as well in order to gain orders and maintain business relationships.
The final classification of training would be for the general apparel factory worker. In
many cases in history, workers were unprepared for evacuation in emergency situations. They 57 may have lacked the knowledge of exit locations, or thought an alarm to be false. Panic is very often involved in such situations. Worker training would help victims stay collected in the face of a threat, bettering their chances on escaping with their lives. After the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, fire drills were implemented as a requirement, along with automatic sprinklers.
However, in some cases, workers were told an alarm was false and were ordered back to work.
Having a set time to conduct fire drills would help employees identify when an alarm is just a drill and when it actually indicates emergencies. Making use of fire escapes during these drills would be helpful as well, as many workers trapped in flaming buildings are unaware of alternative exits. Putting the workers through a variety of situations during a drill, such as fires breaking out on different floors, would better prepare the workers for times of actual emergencies.
Further training, such as how to handle machine equipment or chemicals, would also increase job safety knowledge of each worker. A person who knows the effects of the chemicals they are working with may chose not to be in that position, or may handle chemicals with better care. Knowing the repercussions and hazards of each machine would decrease machine misuse.
Other areas of knowledge that would be beneficial to an apparel production worker involve their rights as a worker and could be taught through various education programs.
Teaching programs already being implemented at some of the safer factories around the world include language practices, helping migrant workers integrate to their places of work.
(Finder, 1995; Lii, 1995). With an increase of communication come an increase of understanding. Workers should also have programs that teach them about their rights including working hours by law, minimum wage, consequences of back wages, discrimination and firing 58
laws, and union organization. Often workers do not speak up for their rights as they are unsure of
what actions they are legally allowed to take, and sometimes face threats from managers.
5.2 Conclusion
After exploring over 100 years of data with a narrow focus, much information has been revealed. Although a vast amount of information is presented along with event specifics, the key takeaways are important as well.
Limitations of this study became apparent when looking into locations of apparel hazards. Apparel factory conditions were more often publicized if they took place in the immediate vicinity for much of the study. The decade of the 1970s showed further expansion from the immediate vicinity of New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. The development of technology may have played a part in this, allowing for a heightened amount of information from distant countries to come through to The New York Times in more recent decades. Because of this, readers and academics cannot ascertain a complete understanding of how such hazards have shifted throughout time.
Another awareness that came from this study's major themes was the result that only a small percentage of all apparel factory hazards came from building collapses. Although collapses have accounted for one of the most fatal apparel incidents, as was the case of Rana Plaza, the lack of occurrences may not prove to be of great significance to factory owners or managers. The fact that it happens so rarely may necessitate owners to ignore such hazards, or to focus on others, such as fires or child labor. However, as found in the study, factory collapses have been avoided through pre-emptive investigation and corrective action, demonstrating the necessity of continuous monitoring of problem areas (Greenhouse & Manik, 2014). Child labor, as has been 59 identified through prior studies and newspaper articles found through this study, has been hard to regulate throughout time, especially because it often coincides with homework. Fires, however, can be prevented through proper safety measures, perhaps better than other hazards.
An additional finding resulting from this study is that most injuries reported were of a physical nature. Deaths, broken limbs, scrapes, and burns were very common throughout the hazards presented in the New York Times. However, only seldom were mental injuries discussed as a direct consequence from apparel factory conditions. One could take this to mean that they are not as pervasive as physical injuries, but they are also much less noticeable to the eye. The fact that barely any mental traumas were reported, but have been well documented in past studies, may very well mean they have been overlooked, especially when more urgent injuries take priority.
The next step in further exploring this study would be to investigate these factory hazards by seeing them instead of merely reading about them. Traveling to areas presented by this study would add valuable firsthand experience and knowledge otherwise unobtainable through secondhand data collection. Visiting such factories, and more importantly, talking with the workers and owners, may provide higher levels of insight. It may turn out that each incident found through New York Times articles were some of the worst conditions, and the average apparel factory worker may not experience such hardships. It may also turn out that conditions are under-reported and that hazards similar to those found in the study are common throughout apparel factories. This cannot be ascertained without follow up studies.
60
5.3 Suggestions for Future Research and Action
Studying apparel factory hazards from 1910 until 2015 using the New York Times has
provided a considerable amount of data. This study is very extensive, and details many
conditions of apparel factories around the world. Although many of these conditions are explored
through this study and recommendations made, there are factory hazards still present that are
going unreported. It is important to note that despite best effort practices, notes of such incidents
slip through the cracks. Without knowledge of these exploits, it is difficult to rectify them.
Academics and researchers can make use of the data presented here to further promote
worker wellbeing. Follow up studies can be made researching future years to come, those that
have passed, or using different publications. This study is just a chip of a literary iceberg,
highlighting 139 events through 146 New York Times articles. More in depth studies may shed
some additional light not explored through this study. Although the results and data from this
study may help academics, it is more importantly geared toward fashion industry executives.
These people have the power, funds, and knowhow to better implement safety programs and make improvements toward apparel factory hazards. Highlighting costs involved with ignoring such safety hazards should help persuade industry officials to take action. Not only can deaths, injuries, physical maltreatment, and mental anguish be avoided in workers, business profits can be made through the increasing demand power of the socially responsible consumer.
Costs from damages, fines, back wages, jail time, and poor brand image can all be avoided with some relatively simple measures.
In the past, some of these measures have been pushed by consumer groups or ethical
'crusaders' through protests or other "naming and shaming" events, as was the case with Wal-
Mart and Nike. Although these advocates have successfully promoted ethical treatment and 61 worker well-being, it is neither the consumers nor the protesters that can make the biggest difference toward safer factories. It is time for company executives to take action and emphasize the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility throughout the supply chain. Stressing the importance of human well-being through business statements, missions, and cultures as well as following through with programs, funding, investments, monitoring, and factory improvements are strong ways to combat factory hazards and worker harm, which, in the end, is the most essential result that could be ascertained from this study. 62
APPENDIX Date of Event Date of Location of Event Newspaper Article Author Type of Factory/ Building Conditions of event Start of event Immediate response Consequences Consequences Positive changes or Associated Retailers and Type of victim Honorable Publication (Hazards & Description of by victims/ (Fatalities/ Injuries) (Fiscal and laws implemented their responses present Mentions of incident) employees Responsibility)/ Costs & (If any) (Nationality, previous events Blame gender, immigrant, etc.) 1910, 1910, New Jersey 23 Die, 40 Hurt in - Wolff Muslin Undergarment Building 50 years old Fire started 9:15 AM Jumping 23 deaths Mayor started fund 100 women & girls November 26 November 27 Newark Newark Fire Company Floor saturated with oil 3rd floor Panic -Women & girls for relief of on 4th floor High and Orange -4th floor 2 fire escapes Explosion gasoline Rushing -8 killed by jumping sufferers 200-300 in building Street -Blocked by fire Lasted until 1 PM Chaos out windows -Flimsy Crowding -1 burned still in seat -Iron ladder stuck Help to put out fire 40 injuries Stairways blocked by smoke & Help to rescue -Arms, bodies, faces fire -Step ladder ripped up Inadequate safety response -20-30 rescued -Sprained ankle -Life nets unable to withstand -Broken arm strain -Internal injuries -Ripped -Broken ribs -Not enough nets Unknown number Spiked iron gate injured/killed missing many jumpers
1911, 1911, New York 141 Men and Girls - 10-story building Building fireproof Fire started 4:40 PM Jumping 141 deaths Building Department 600 workers March 25 March 26 New York City Die in Waist Triangle Waist Company Had 4 recent fires 8th floor Help to escape -125 girls thought guilty -500 girls Corner of Greene Factory Fire; -8th-10th floors 1 interior fire escape Top 3 stories -NYU students next -50 from 9th floor Damages Most barely spoke Street and Trapped High Up in Owners Harris & Blanck -Never used Spread to NYU Law door -30 in elevator shaft -Faculty room English Washington Place Washington Place Crows & Wallace -Loose on upper floors School next door -100 women & 20 -20 on sidewalks -2 classrooms -Italian Building; Street -Clothiers No outside escapes Lasted half hour men rescued -48 unidentified -Russian Strewn with Bodies; -6th & 7th floors Escape blocked Owners escaped Panic -Hungarian Piles of Dead Inside Morris Blum -Stairs cut off by flame Rushing -German -Clothier -1 elevator out of service Trampling 200 on 8th floor -5th & 6th floors Crowded Men only on 10th Harris Brothers -Aisles cluttered with trimmings floor -Clothiers on 8th & 9th floors Workers only on top -3rd & 4th floors -Machines too close together 3 floors Hatters' Exchange & Martin Inadequate fire response Bates, Jr. -Ladders 2 stories short -1st & 2nd floors -Life nets useless -Horse blanket ripped -Tarpaulin tore from grasp Child labor -13 year-old girl
1911, New York Quick Grand Jury - Loft building 1 fire escape in back of building Fire Panic 150-200 deaths likely Law only required 1 2,000 employed at March 26 New York City Fire Investigation 4 stairways Top 3 floors Fear -55 had jumped out fire escape building Washington Place 4 elevators Jumping windows -2 freight elevators not in use Crowding -35 jumped down Help to rescue elevator shaft -Elevator man 20 trips -70 trapped on floors -NYU student manned Injuries other elevator -Elevator man trampled, leg injury
1911, New York Death List is 141; - 10-story building Trapped Fire started about 5 Help to rescue 141 deaths March 27 New York City Only 86 Identified PM 2 ladders used to span -128 women Spread to Law 2 buildings -18 men School -50 rescued -55 unidentified Some girls collected 12 injuries belongings or wages -Hospitalized before escaping -Most from jumping out windows -Broken back -Fractured leg -Internal injuries -Compound fracture of pelvic bone 15 missing
1911 New York Locked in Factory, - 10-story building Doors locked Fire started 4:40 PM Rushing 141-145 deaths Criminal negligence March 27 New York City the Survivors Say, Owners Harris & Blanck -To 8th, 9th, 10th floors 8th floor -Mostly girls likely proved against Greene Street and when Fire Started -Prevent girls from taking rests Probably northwest -86 identified someone Washington Place that Cost 141 Lives on stairs corner Building department -Open inward Probably from center of attack -Owners deny locked doors cigarette or match Staircases fireproof Heap of rubbish -Enclosed by fireproof doors Freight elevators enclosed Inadequate fire exits 1 fire escape -Broken & twisted at 10th floor
access 63
1911, New York Blame Shifted on - 10-story loft building Inadequate fire escape Fire started evening Help to rescue 142 deaths Responsibility charged to Relief funds started 225 on 8th floor March 28 New York City All Sides for Fire Asch building Never fire drills 8th floor -Harris found -Most from 9th floor Building Department Laws to not lock 350 on 9th floor University Place Horror Owners Harris & Blanck Building complies with law Lit match or cigarette stepladder to escape -29 unidentified Company's owner & 13 doors 60 on 10th floor and Greene Street Inspectors incompetent Waste near oil cans to adjoining building others under Smoking not allowed or clippings under -75 rescued investigation -Constantly indulged in cutting table -Elevator man Exits blocked Upper 3 stories -100 rescued -Likely locked Owners escaped -Firemen needed axes to get through -Staircases blocked by fire Supposed escape times by exit -Fire escape 3 hours -Elevators 20 minutes -Staircases 30 minutes Elevators doors enclosed Chemicals -Cleansing compound for removing spots -Lubricating oil Cloakroom entrance 21" wide
1911, New York Supt. Miller Home; - Loft building converted to Doors locked Fire Panic 143 deaths Failure of department to Girls spoke mostly March 30 Won't Talk of Fire factory -No axes, firemen retreated Attempts to jump -16 unidentified investigate buildings to Italian & Yiddish Asch building No fire escape ladder from 2nd Help to rescue 8 injuries blame Owner Blanck floor to bottom of air shaft -Carry fainted girl -Still in hospital Water hose on 8th floor rotted -NYU students -Tap rusted Clippings on 8th floor No advice in mother languages on location of exits or getting to roof
1911, New York City will Bury the - Asch building Smoking in building Fire 144 deaths Wicker baskets to be March 31 Unidentified -Boss denied smoking -14 unidentified replaced by woven Narrow stairs wire baskets -Blocked to firemen coming up Monthly fire drills to by girls escaping be enforced Fire hazard Installation of -Storage in rattan baskets sprinkler systems to 9th floor elevator doorway 20" be made compulsory wide 8th floor hose broke Suggested fireproof Workers unaccustomed to covers for Washington Place doors as they combustible were always closed contents -2/3 of workers had no knowledge of doors
1911, New York City Deny Locked - 10-story loft building Door locked Fire Crowding 148 deaths Owners on trial for Suggestion that December 19 Washington Place Doors, but Girls Triangle Waist Company -Washington Place side manslaughter in 1st automatic sprinklers and Greene Street Insist Owners Harris & Blanck -8th & 9th floor doors had to be degree be installed broken in
1911, 1911, New York Small Fire Panic - Birnbaum Factory Lack of fire escapes Fire started AM Panic 2 Injuries Damages: 40 Girls May 17 May 18 New York City 4-story -1 Ground floor Rushing -Hands burned $500 34 Bond Street Millinery goods manufacturing Trapped Bathroom Shoving -Face scratched -3rd & 4th floors Escape blocked by flames Cigarette in trash Jumping attempts Owned by E. Chesbrough -Stairs estate Doors open inward -Law violation
1912, 1912, New York Many Leap, One - 5-story brick building Escapes inadequate Fire started NOON Jumping (25) 1 Death Building Department More than 100 men Triangle April 26 April 27 New York City Dies, at Fire Abe Jablowsky, Shirtwaist -1 entrance/exit 3rd floor Panic -Man jumped from 4th insisted on building and women Shirtwaist factory 21 Bowery maker Lack of fire escapes Gas engine or 5th floor 2 fire escapes after fire -2nd floor -2 Explosion -Missed net & landed Shirtwaist fire Harris Lapizes and Steler & -Rusted ladder made useless headfirst on cement Co., Trouser manufacturers Trapped Several injuries -3rd & 4th floors Escape blocked by smoke -Landing on pavement -Fire escape -Man's thumb bit
1912, 1912, New York Blazing Loft Rocks - 6-story brick loft Fire started early AM 1 Injury Damages : June 3 June 4 New York City under Fire Streams Gitenstein, shirt factory Smoldered in clothes -Small cuts from Stock $60,000 12 White Street -2nd to 6th floors on 3rd floor until falling glass Surrounding building: draft Water damage $1000s 64 1913, 1913, New York 50 Girls Die in a 20- - 4-story brick building Lack of fire escapes Fire started 1:30 PM Thought False Alarm 50 Deaths Damages: 125 mostly women July 22 July 23 Binghamton Minute Factory Binghamton Clothing Escapes inadequate 1st floor Jumping -And counting Building $100,000 and girls 7 Wall Street Blaze Company Not big enough Under staircase Pushing, crowding, 50 Injuries Surrounding buildings: 80% American Freeman Overall Company Escape blocked by fire Cigarette rushing -Burns -Post office $30,000 20% foreign Roof fell in Explosion Department heads -MacKallor Drug -Italian No Extinguishers Lasted 20 minutes stayed (died) to help Company $50,000 -Polish Tools made useless: rescue workers -O'Neil establishment -Jewish -Nets Owner survived $40,000 -Ladders Workers blamed for -Hoses slow reaction Days' scraps and dust built up on floor
1913, New York Girls had Small - Binghamton Clothing Escape blocked Fire Thought False 50 Deaths New York July 23 Binghamton Chance Company Staircases not fireproof Alarm -And counting Triangle Escapes inadequate Jumping Injuries Shirtwaist Factory One staircase from 4th floor Fear -Broken back Fire Waste on floor: Panic -Compound fracture -Oil Confusion of leg -Rags -Shreds
1913, New York Lays Blame to - Binghamton Factory Escapes Inadequate Fire Blame Tammany leader, Bureau ordered 676 New York July 24 Binghamton Murphy Charles F. Murphy factories to install Triangle Lack of proper factory fire drills Shirtwaist Factory supervision by Labor Hired inspector to Fire Department direct fire drills Several hundred employees and proprietors of factories arrested, fined, and sometimes jailed to enforce no smoking law
1913, New York Rigorous Inquiries - Binghamton Clothing Fire Panic 50-55 Deaths Deaths blamed on Employees 111 July 24 Binghamton in Binghamton Fire Company Loss sense of workers slow reaction to evacuated in 20 7 Wall Street direction alarm seconds during Help to rescue previous fire drill
1913, New York Fire Escape Poor, - Binghamton Clothing Escapes inadequate Fire 40 Deaths (reduced July 25 Binghamton says Ahearn's Aid Company Faulty fire escape Cigarette thrown number) Fire escapes not used in drills from 2nd floor through opening by stairs Ignite plush pile
1915, 1915, New York 36 Injured, 15 - 5-story building Inadequate fire safety Fire started 1:50 PM Jumping 12 deaths Arrest of building owner 200 workers, most Triangle November 6 November 7 Williamsburg Missing Essex Shirt Company factory -Absence of fireproofing Elevator shaft Fear -3 men & wife above 2nd floor Shirtwaist factory 281 & 283 North -3rd floor -Lack of fire escapes Roof fell in Crowding -6 women -Held without bail fire Sixth Street Tailoring Company -1 escape front of building Panic 36 injuries -Charges criminal -4th floor blocked by flames Help to rescue -Majority women negligence Barasch Cloak Company -None in rear -Men put ladder to -Many from jumping -5th floor -Main stairway passed unused window 11-15 missing elevator shaft Life nets inadequate Windows jammed -Broken by escapees Child labor -15 year-old
1916, 1916, New York Supersafe Office, - 2-story building Building 1 month old Fire started after Help to fight fire 7 deaths Damages $190,000 October 17 October 18 Long Island City only 16 feet up, Oakes Manufacturing -Made of corrugated Iron NOON -6 women -Building $25,000 Steinway section Death Trap for 7 Company's dye plant Lack of fire escapes 1st floor -1 man -Sheds $5,000 Blackwell Street & Offices & laboratory on 2nd -2 outside Electricians knocked -Finished dye products East River floor -1 outside steel staircase over ladder $100,000 Material storage on 1st floor Spread to surrounding buildings Broke jar of -Veneer plant $15,000 -Storage sheds chemicals -Wood at veneer plant -Veneer plant -Bisulphite of soda $45,000
1917, New York Welcome Labor - Military uniform Child labor Committee to August 26 New York City Control manufacturing -Little children inspect factories of Home work manufacturers -Dirt bidding for contracts -Disease 65 Date of Event Date of Location of Event Newspaper Article Author Type of Factory/ Building Conditions of event Start of event Immediate response Consequences Consequences Positive changes or Associated Retailers and Type of victim Honorable Publication (Hazards & Description of by victims/ (Fatalities/ Injuries) (Fiscal and laws implemented their responses present Mentions of incident) employees Responsibility)/ Costs & (If any) (Nationality, previous events Blame gender, immigrant, etc.) 1922, 1922, New York Swift Factory Fire - 5-story building Escapes inadequate Fire started before Jumping 1-3 Deaths Women, girls, men October 30 October 31 Brooklyn Kills 1; Others Louis Weinstein -Weak & rickety 6:30 PM Crossing entire floors 8 injuries 126-142 Thirteenth Dying Clothing manufacturer -2 staircases Street Treinis Brothers' athletic -1 wooden staircase to 4th & 5th uniform factory floors -3rd floor -1 exit in front Trapped Law violation Chemicals (shellac) on lower floors 2 elevators -1 abandoned, not always closed off -1 only reached 3rd floor Fire tower unreached
1923, New Jersey Child Workers - Tenements Child labor Tuberculosis in 4 Children September 2 Increasing; Million -13 year-old beading dresses children are now Employed -10 year-old sewing rompers Swallowed needle -Throat glands swollen and granulated
1924, New York 3-Year-Old Toilers - Tenements Child labor Children have to wear Children January 11 East Harlem found in Tenements -Children embroider silk glasses stockings - Sometimes beaten & Children make babies' caps & forced to work boots Fall asleep at school Home work -Disease -Insanitary conditions
1925, New York Fashion Show in - 200 garment shops Bad posture Health defects October 25 New York City Interest of Health Poor lighting
1927, China Picture the Woes of Ross, Donald Press packing plant Child labor Women, children, & April 24 Hankow Labor in China -Loosening cotton men -Sorting cotton -Sitting on floor -No break for food Poor ventilation -Dust
Silk mill Child labor Women, children, & -Tiny children too young to babies work -Babies under machines Poor lighting Poor ventilation -Moisture Bad odor
Weaving factory Japanese owned Rooms light Women & children Child labor Ceilings high
Weaving factory Chinese owned Poor lighting Poor ventilation
1928, 1928, Massachusetts 19th Victim Dead in - Preble Box Toe Company Building near residence Explosion 19 deaths Fire department to November 8 November 10 Lynn Lynn Explosion -Imitation leather -12 feet away Chemicals 4 injuries inspect monthly -Volatile & -Critical condition buildings with explosive: 2 missing flammable or -Guncotton explosive chemicals -Acetic ether -Pyroxylin -Naphtha -Alcohol Fire started day later 66 1913 1928, New York Eye Strain Laid to - Poor lighting Defective vision in November 27 New York City Shop Lighting 75% of garment workers (2,096)
1928 6,000 garment workshops Poor lighting Similar prevalence out -90% of buildings of 10,000 garment workers
1929, 1929, New York Lucy Abercrombie - 3-story factory Door locked Explosion 4:00 PM Help to rescue Lucy 1 death Abercrombie & Fitch Woman & man November 26 November 28 Ossining is Killed by Blast Abercrombie & Fitch Alone in building 3rd floor by trying to put out -Lucy Abercrombie -Sporting goods firm Wiring fire 1 injury Chemicals -Critical condition -Waterproofing -Severe burns formula: -Arms & chest -Powdered paraffine -Gasoline Fire -Lucy's clothes aflame
Date of Event Date of Location of Event Newspaper Article Author Type of Factory/ Building Conditions of event Start of event Immediate response Consequences Consequences Positive changes or Associated Retailers and Type of victim Honorable Publication (Hazards & Description of by victims/ (Fatalities/ Injuries) (Fiscal and laws implemented their responses present Mentions of incident) employees Responsibility)/ Costs & (If any) (Nationality, previous events Blame gender, immigrant, etc.) 1933, 'Industrial South' Two States Lax as - Textile mills Child labor Children May 22 to Child Labor -Long hours -Days & nights No laws Poorly enforced laws
1934, March New Jersey Silk Sweatshops - Family shops Child labor Silk and Rayon 3,000 adults 28 Patterson held code menace Produces 25% of Paterson's -No limit in hours Workers Guild to fix 200 children silk products -No specified wages prices and enforce Home work code provisions
Date of Event Date of Location of Event Newspaper Article Author Type of Factory/ Building Conditions of event Start of event Immediate response Consequences Consequences Positive changes or Associated Retailers and Type of victim Honorable Publication (Hazards & Description of by victims/ (Fatalities/ Injuries) (Fiscal and laws implemented their responses present Mentions of incident) employees Responsibility)/ Costs & (If any) (Nationality, previous events Blame gender, immigrant, etc.) 1945, China Manchurian Mill Lieberman, Cotton mill Child Labor Fear Children suffering Hope to reduce child 5,000 workers December 31 Manchuria Keeps Child Labor Henry R. 50,000 spindles -Did not abolish system from Trachoma hours to 6 Chinhsien Cotton padded uniforms & -11-15 years-old Stunted in growth Give working caps for soldiers of Chinese -8 hours a day Could not operate children 2 hours of forces -Living quarters without children school daily Chinese owned -Millet -No pay Drafty building Foreman shoed children to work by tapping rolled newspaper against their bottoms Cotton mill Child labor Previously Japanese owned -13 year-old -12 hours a day -Received living quarters -Small ration of millet -Pay of 20 yuan Date of Event Date of Location of Event Newspaper Article Author Type of Factory/ Building Conditions of event Start of event Immediate response Consequences Consequences Positive changes or Associated Retailers and Type of victim Honorable Publication (Hazards & Description of by victims/ (Fatalities/ Injuries) (Fiscal and laws implemented their responses present Mentions of incident) employees Responsibility)/ Costs & (If any) (Nationality, previous events Blame gender, immigrant, etc.) 1951, 1951, New York Fire Peril Closes 6- - 6-story brick building Fire hazard Factory shut down Building vacated September 11 September 12 New York City Story Building Textile manufacturers -Gasoline leaks through cellar 50 gallons of 1938 Park Avenue Alert textile Processing walls explosive liquid Corporation removed
1952, 1952, New York Lone Rescuer - 6-story brick building Escape blocked Fire started 9:40 AM Panic 29 injuries Damages: 90 May 1 May 2 New York City Averts Fire Panic, Garment loft -4th & 5th floors 4th floor Rushing -3 Critical condition $150,000 Mostly young Lower East Side Saves 25 in Blazing Started in presser Elevator operator woman 45 East Broadway Loft; 29 Hurt Lasted 30 minutes helped rescue (15) Truck driver saw women in window -Thought suicide attempts -Helped rescue by roof (25-30) 67 1956, 1956, New York Fire Head Scores - 1-story factory Law violations (28) Building owners fined 30 April 10 April 11 Bronx Hazards in Bronx Textile Fabrics Corporation -Dangling light string in $25 Hunts Point -Imitation leather equipment Building owners received -Light bulbs without vapor-proof two summonses for not casing remedying violations -Barred windows found previously -Piles near windows Factory shut down -Piles near drier -Locked exits
1959, 1959, New Jersey 40 Injured in Jersey - 1-story factory 9-ft excavation beside rear wall Factory wall buckled 40 injuries 75 September 15 September 16 Hammonton as Wall Collapses Modern Clothing Company -For new cutting room Roof collapsed -1 woman hospitalized Mostly women Rear wall cinder blocks cracked
Date of Event Date of Location of Event Newspaper Article Author Type of Factory/ Building Conditions of event Start of event Immediate response Consequences Consequences Positive changes or Associated Retailers and Type of victim Honorable Publication (Hazards & Description of by victims/ (Fatalities/ Injuries) (Fiscal and laws implemented their responses present Mentions of incident) employees Responsibility)/ Costs & (If any) (Nationality, previous events Blame gender, immigrant, etc.) 1962, Japan Tax Plan Perils a Rosenthal, A. 500 textile plants Smaller plants January 28 Nishiwaki Japanese Town M. -Produces 350,000,000 sq yds -Poor lighting of textiles a year -No safety guards on machinery
1963, 1963, New Jersey 26 Injured in AP 3-story factory Fire spread 2 Explosions 26 injuries Damages: 94 October 21 October 22 Paterson Paterson Blast; Franklin Finishing Company -Entire factory started 12:30 PM -1 critical condition Factory $1,000,000 Worker is Missing -Textile dyeing -Surrounding residences Finishing plant -7 hospitalized Over 6 houses in Rubble Employee to relight -2 firemen -1 destroyed gas-fed unit 1 missing 20 autos Machine blew up Fire Lasted 30 minutes
1964, New York Child-Labor Case Ranzal, K. Saltzman & Son, Inc. Law violation Company fined $10,000 14 Puerto Rican March 13 New York City Brings Stiff Fines Edward Men's evening wear Started in November 1960 Secretary-treasurer & children Lower East Side accessories manufacturing Child labor Vice president each fined Bowties & cummerbunds -14 cases $5,000 -10 year-old girl 2 years probation -Others up to 15 years-old $7,846 back wages Falsified records Defendants pleaded guilty
Date of Event Date of Location of Event Newspaper Article Author Type of Factory/ Building Conditions of event Start of event Immediate response Consequences Consequences Positive changes or Associated Retailers and Type of victim Honorable Publication (Hazards & Description of by victims/ (Fatalities/ Injuries) (Fiscal and laws implemented their responses present Mentions of incident) employees Responsibility)/ Costs & (If any) (Nationality, previous events Blame gender, immigrant, etc.) 1974, China Ancient Chinese Burns, John Silk mill Heat Effort to provide April 5 Wusih Silk Industry Noise -Ventilation Comes out of No vacations -Washing facilities Cocoon 56 days paid maternity leave Free use of nursery at mill
1974, South Korea South Korea Keeps Butterfield, Loft building Over 100 degrees 2 underwear factory Girls not to work 20 teenage girls August 17 Seoul Labor Costs Down Fox Shop 149 1 fan managers arrested more than 8 hours a Peace Market Through Sew children's dresses Poor ventilation 1 textile mill manager day garment district Exploitation of Crowded jailed for 1 week 6 days a week Work Force Lingerie factory Pay for food & living in factory dormitory -Meals rice, vegetables & soup -Meat once a month Restrictions -Can leave twice a week and Sundays Strikes banned
1974, North Carolina What Work can do Scott, Rachel Textile mills Poor ventilation Gasping Injuries September 16 to You -Cotton dust -Damaged lungs
West Virginia Rayon plant Chemicals Several injuries: Men in age 30s Nitro Carbon disulphide Carbon disulphide -Makes people act insane poisoning 68 1976, New Jersey Illegal Sewing Janson, C.E.L. Fashions Home work Fined up to $500 per Home work legal if August 25 Trenton Homework is found Donald Palacios Sportswear Stacks of material house and 2 years in jail licenses for on Rise in State A & A Manufacturing Falsifying records Palacios & A & A manufacturers & Company -Failure to keep wage & hour charged with child labor home workers records Labor Department can Child labor seize goods
1977, 1977, New Jersey Vat in Blast came Hanley, Dye plant Explosive residue in vat Explosion started 3 deaths 200 windows shattered in August 2 August 4 Paterson from Arms Factory Robert Fabricolor Manufacturing 10 workers welding near vat 1:20 PM -1 died at scene dozens of silk mills Company Residue detonated -1 died after surgery Young-Posen Possibly seeped -1 died of internal responsible for cleaning through pinhole into injuries vats before resale steam-heating coil 12 injuries Young-Posen to warn Sharp pieces of steel -1 critical condition buyers vats once shot into welders with internal injuries contained explosives
1979, August 1 New York Garment Union - Judy Beth shop Locked gate South Bronx Calls Some Bronx Dress operator Barred windows 821 East 160th Factories 1 fan Street Sweatshop Poor ventilation Operations Leaky roof Escapes inadequate -Sealed fire exit No sprinkler system
1979, New York Sweatshops Thrive Stetson, Dress factory 1 fan 9 women September 18 South Bronx Despite Union and Damon Poor ventilation Jerome Avenue Federal Efforts -Hot -Dusty Grimy storefront Crowded -Cluttered aisles Bundles stacked -Polyester fabric -Floor -Corners -Tables -Exits blocked -Aisles blocked Home work
New York 6-story building Child labor Manhattan Garment manufacturing Crowded Chinatown Doubled as kitchen Canal Street Dust -Some workers wear masks
New York 1-story building Child labor Manhattan Bundles stacked Chinatown 43d Street 1979, October New York Explosions and Fire - 6-story building Trapped Fire started 3:30 PM 1 death Building destroyed 11 Brooklyn Sweep a Factory in Deitsch Textile Company Barred windows 1st floor storage 2 injuries Danger of collapsing 510 Waverly Brooklyn, Killing Zalman Deitsch, company room Fabric bales -1 critical condition Avenue One and Injuring 2 owner Set off explosions (3- Smoke inhalation 4) Lacerations Possible chemicals 4 injuries of fireman -Magnesium -Smoke inhalation sometimes used in -Lacerations processing fabric
1979, October Manhattan 85 'Sweatshops' Stetson, 85 garment factories Evidence of Chinese worker Legal action justified Chinese workers 19 Chinatown Accused by U.S. on Damon exploitation against 85 companies Mostly non-English Work Rules Falsifying records 3 civil contempt charges speaking -No record of hours worked -Inaccurate production records -Lack of info for employee records -Addresses, ages, Social Security numbers -Undated time cards -Time card discrepancies -Payroll discrepancies Child labor
1979, October New York City 'Sweatshops' Cited - 119 garment factories 400 building code violations 88 summonses 137 building code 20 Chinatown & -Faulty elevators construction defects violations corrected South Bronx 830 fire code violations 36 summonses faulty All fire code elevators violations corrected 69 Date of Event Date of Location of Event Newspaper Article Author Type of Factory/ Building Conditions of event Start of event Immediate response Consequences Consequences Positive changes or Associated Retailers and Type of victim Honorable Publication (Hazards & Description of by victims/ (Fatalities/ Injuries) (Fiscal and laws implemented their responses present Mentions of incident) employees Responsibility)/ Costs & (If any) (Nationality, previous events Blame gender, immigrant, etc.) 1987, New York New York is Freitag, Small sewing factory Falsified records Dozens of Spanish Triangle November 16 Queens Fighting Spread of Michael -Dress assembly -Inaccurate punch clock women Shirtwaist Factory Corona Sweatshops Grimy windows Fire 103d Street Rusted gate at storefront Cluttered aisles Fire hazard Inadequate exits
1987, New York Deimy's Designs Fire hazards November 13 Queens -1st floor & basement -Inadequate ceiling Astoria -Blocked exit in basement 27th Street -Exposed wires touching fabric Poor ventilation Home work
1988, 1988, South Korea In Korean Factory, Chira, Susan Green Hill Textile Company Women sleeping in factory Fire started late 22 deaths Treated 'well' 28 young women March 31 April 6 Anyang a Dream is reduced Small factory -Doubles as dormitory March -Owner brought to Ashes -Slept 3 to a room meals and cake -Windowless when girls worked Exits locked late -Stairways -Stacked with sweaters No legal permit to operate Close to neighboring buildings
Date of Event Date of Location of Event Newspaper Article Author Type of Factory/ Building Conditions of event Start of event Immediate response Consequences Consequences Positive changes or Associated Retailers and Type of victim Honorable Publication (Hazards & Description of by victims/ (Fatalities/ Injuries) (Fiscal and laws implemented their responses present Mentions of incident) employees Responsibility)/ Costs & (If any) (Nationality, previous events Blame gender, immigrant, etc.) 1990, New York Thousands of Freitag, Belt factory Poor lighting Lie about classes Missing school Factory owner cited for Apparel Industry Children February 5 Manhattan Children doing Michael -Harsh fluorescent being canceled Falling asleep at violating child labor laws Task Force (formed West 38th Street Adults' Works Bad odor school Can be fined up to $500 1987) made child -Caustic chemicals if guilty labor priority Crowded Child labor -11 year-old girl Potential hazards -Hydraulic hole punches -Steam presses
1990, New York Immigrants Strain Hays, Hong Fong Sportswear Falsified records Citation to owner for no 50 Chinese women May 30 Chinatown Chinatown's Constance L. company -No time cards employee records Couple men Elizabeth Street resources -4th floor -Time clock stopped Poor ventilation -Women wear improvised fabric masks Exits blocked -Barred windows -Fire door blocked by boxes & metal bar
1990, Texas Pay Abuses in Belkin, Lisa Diana's Fashions workshop Back wages Fines if problems not Group La Mujer Mostly poor Hispanic November 28 El Paso Border Garment El Paso International Apparel -Factory closed & doors locked corrected Obrera (The immigrant women Shops -Machinery removed $40,000 paid in back working woman) Majority illegal -Reopened down street to avoid wages tracking factories & paying back wages Some machinery owners for back No health benefits impounded and wages since May auctioned for $1,500
1992, 1992, New York More Children are Kolata, Gina 7-story factory Wires dangle from ceiling 1 Spanish girl forgot 50 women June 15 June 21 Manhattan Employed, Often J.J. Fashions Child labor her birthday, had no Couple men West 37th Street Perilously -Suspiciously young workers identification
1992, 1992, Bangladesh Wal-Mart Disputes Hayes, Garment factory Child labor 25 deaths (2 years Wal-Mart stock fell Wal-Mart December 22 December 24 Report on Labor Thomas C. -Young as 11 prior) $2.375 Investigation -From fire -NBC report -Several children
China Sino Overseas Falsifying records Hong Kong -Misidentifying labels as Made in Malaysia or other countries Forced labor 70 1993, Northern Marianas Saipan Sweatshops Shenon, Crowded barracks $9 million in back wages Federal minimum No comment: Mostly Chinese July 18 Saipan are no American Philip -8 to a room $1.3 million in repairs 100 sq ft per person -Arrow Dream -Beds separated by sheets $76,000 in penalties to cook & sleep -Gap -Room doubles as kitchen -Montgomery Ward -Sometimes plywood shacks Insignificant amount of -Tin roof production: -Often no regular water or -Claiborne electricity -Eddie Bauer -Sometimes surrounded by Aggressive in ending labor barbed wire or guards abuses: Hallway strewn with litter -Levi Strauss & Co. Bad odor -Mildew hallway Threats if complain -Take away money -Send back to China Debt bondage Virtual captivity Toilets primitive
1993, Saipan The Harsh Lessons - Clothing factory 6 workers living in one room $1.3 million factory Federal minimum July 18 of Free Enterprise Mr. Tan 190 sq ft repairs 100 sq ft per person Toilet primitive $76,000 penalties 1994, California 96₵ an Hour: The Echaveste, Sewing shop Discrimination Labor Department led to Triangle March 6 San Francisco Sweatshop is Maria, & -96 cents an hour because "old 35 workplaces paying Shirtwaist Factory Reborn Nussbaum, and slow" $500,000 in back wages Fire Karen to 1,300 garment workers
1995, New York Despite Tough Finder, Alan Garment factory Small Federal officials can 3 workers centers February 6 Brooklyn Laws, Sweatshops Cotton sweaters Dingy seize garments made in -English classes Williamsburg Flourish Children playing violation of wage or -Help getting back Exits locked safety laws wages -Fire exits sealed by metal gates with padlocks
New York 2-story cinder-block building No windows 20 Brooklyn Garment shop Poor ventilation Sunset Park Heat
New York Industrial building Grimy Queens 3 garment shops Exits locked Long Island City -Fire exits sealed by metal gates with padlocks
New York P.S. Pleating Falsifying records Charges against factory 37 workers Manhattan Plaid skirts -18 time cards for improper payroll 325 West 38th -37 workers records Street -Payroll records -Can be fined up to $1,500 for first violation and $3,000 for subsequent violations
1995, New York Week in Sweatshop Lii, Jane H. Garment factory Previous owner owed $80,000 in Sore throat Treated 'well' Rhubarb Fashions 30 workers March 12 Brooklyn Reveals Grim Chai Feng sewing factory back wages Dry cough -Owner serves tea Christine David Almost all Fujianese Chinatown Conspiracy of the (Previously Superior Poor lighting Stiff back -Drives workers Sunset Park Poor Fashions) -Rags covering windows -"Sewer's back" home at night -Fluorescent lights hanging from Aching shoulders -Allows mothers to chains leave during day to Bundles stacked pick up children -Some taller than worker from school -Haphazard mounds Free English lessons Workers hunched and squinting offered by union Heater broken -Numbing cold Children playing -Among lint -Some helped mothers work Child labor -11 year-old working in garment shops since age 9 -Naps on piled clothes -Works through no dinner Incomplete employee records Poor ventilation -Dusty warehouse -Lint filled -Steam pressers -Hazy with lint -Moisture 1 position 13 hours 71 1995, Honduras Children of the Herbert, Bob Orion Apparel Child labor Fruit of the Loom July 21 Dark Ages Shirt producer Talking forbidden -Gitano Bathroom restrictions 2 bathroom breaks a day Not allowed to attend school in evening - would have to leave plant too early
1995, 1995, California Thai Workers are Noble, Garment factory Forced labor 2 injuries 8 people accused of 70 Thai workers August 2 August 4 El Monte Set Free in Kenneth B. -Security guards posing as men -Severely beaten and abusing workers they 12 miles east of California seated under umbrella wouldn't sent back to Thailand lured from Thailand downtown LA allow anyone to approach or when tried to escape 6 months in prison for escape each incident -Workers lived and worked in Easily up to 30 years barracks some for years Doors locked -Locked up and guarded each night -Threatened with harm or death if try to escape -"go to their hometowns in Thailand to burn their houses down" -Routinely abused -Children held hostage Child labor 6 ft high brick wall enclosure Barbed wire Spiked fences Crowded Barred windows -Thick iron bars -Plywood sheets nailed from inside on 2nd floor
1995, California Buying Clothes Herbert, Bob Garment sweatshop complex Complex surrounded Iowa introduced bill 70 Thai immigrants August 4 El Monte Without Exploiting -Barbed wire to block importation Children -Spiked fences of goods produced by children under 15
1995, California Los Angeles Noble, Makeshift garment factory Violations Macy's 70 workers from August 5 El Monte Sweatshops are Kenneth B. -Health Hecht's Thailand Thriving, Experts -Safety laws Filene's Say Exits locked -From outside -Authorities had to ax down each door Child labor -Young as 13 Forced labor Barbed wire
1995, California U.S. Warns Big Noble, F40 California Inc. Forced labor Subpoenaed records Sears 72 illegal immigrants August 15 Retailers about Kenneth B. Tomato Inc. -Locked up & guarded each from 16 Southern Macy's from Thailand Sweatshop Goods L.F. Sportswear night California garment Neiman Marcus Ms Tops of California - Threatened with rape or makers believed to have Foley Petites Balmara Inc. violence if try to escape connections with El Meier & Frank New Boys Inc. Barbed wire Monte operation Robinsons-May Point Zero Spiked fences 8 men arrested of El Hecht's Excuses Sportswear Doors locked from outside Monte ring Filene's Paragraff Clothing Company -Denied bail Kaufmann's Bermo Enterprises -Federal slavery charges Dayton Hudson- A & M Casuals possible Corporation Us Boys -6 men charged with Mervyn's BUM International harboring illegal Broadway Stores Inc. Diane Samandi immigrants Rich's -2 men charged with Specialty Retailers Inc. bringing illegal Montgomery Ward & immigrants into country Company -Sued LA garment manufacturer -Removed all merchandise supplied by vendor Fred Meyer Venture Stores Inc. Lerner 72
1995, California Agency Missteps Sterngold, Garment factory Virtual slavery Thai shop owners 72 Illegal Thai September 21 El Monte put Illegal Aliens at James Set of apartments Factory surrounded arrested immigrant Mercy of -Fence Sweatshops -Razor wire Debt bondage -Smuggled workers -Took passports -Workers to repay travel costs Corruption -Possible police office as factory guard
1996, California 7 Thais Enter Guilty Reuters Garment factory Razor wire Many workers suffer 7 Thai citizens accused 72 Thai immigrants February 11 Suburban El Pleas for Detention Spiked fences serious medical of slavery signed Monte in Sweatshop Forced labor problems from years agreements for prison -Held against will of imprisonment terms 2-7 years -Made to work day & night -2 guards Debt bondage -1 lieutenant in operation -Imprisonment continued after -2 others declared debt repaid fugitives -Provided workers fake passports Confined to windowless warehouse
1996, California Six-Year Terms for AP Factory since 1989 2 sentenced to 6 years in April 30 Los Angeles Mistreating Barbed wire prison Factory's Crew Razor wire Restitution Spiked fence -$4.5 million to 81 Workers passports had been workers taken -Paid to victims in 5 Supplied with phony passports years Threatened to beat workers if try -$1 million seized from to escape profits Censored workers mail 2 accused fled likely in Monitored workers phone calls Thailand
1996, California Look Who's Adelson, Garment factory Dilapidated building 2 owners sentenced to 6 Labor Department Companies like Guess, May 4 Los Angeles Minding the Shop Andrea barbed wire years in prison 1992 provision to Chorus Line and 43 others spiked fences 1938 Fair Labor signed voluntary Forced labor Standards Act to agreement with Labor Threats of death if try to escape seize goods Department to help with produced by back pay owed to workers exploited labor Raised $7.3 million since 1993
1995, El Salvador Not a Living Wage Herbert, Bob Mandarin Company Surrounded Workers faint October 9 San Salvador Maquiladora factory complex -Cinder-block walls Children thin & weak San Marcos Free -Barbed wire Trade Zone Patrolled by armed guards Heat Poor nourishment
1995, 1995, Massachusetts Massachusetts - Malden Mills textile complex Fire spread to 3 other buildings Explosion 25 injuries 400-500 people on December 11 December 13 Methuen Dream Darkened as Flocking Explosion knocked out sprinkler Near boiler room 1,400 workers without the job Mill's Ruins system Fire jobs Smolder
1995, Massachusetts Plume of Hope Herszenhorn, Malden Mills flocking line Explosion 25 injuries 2,500 employees December 16 Methuen Rises from Factory David M. Century old building Near boiler room -Dozen hospitalized Ashes Fire 1,400 workers without jobs
1996, Indonesia An Indonesian Gargan, Nike sport shoe factory Detained after firing Sued to get job back Nike >5,000 Nike workers March 16 Serang Asset is also a Edward A. -Interrogated for 7 days -Not aware of worker held in Indonesia Liability Subcontracting for a week Child labor -13 & 14 year-old girls
1996, New York Live with Kathie Greenhouse, Abuse Investigations of May 31 New York City Lee and Apparel Steven -Screaming factories producing West 38th Street Workers -Hitting Kathie Lee clothes -Throwing clothes at workers Bathroom restrictions -Twice a day Managers abusive -sexually harass -Grab workers legs and buttocks Child labor -1 girl started at age 13 -60 hours a week 73 1996, Honduras A Crusader makes Greenhouse, Global Fashions Child labor Gifford demanded Wal-Mart June 18 Celebrities Tremble Steven Sportswear factory -15 year-old worker Wal-Mart let Forced to sleep in factory independent Fear monitoring in -Workers scared to tell truth to factories that made monitors her clothes
1996, Honduras A Sweetheart Strom, Clothing factory Child labor Labor Department to Legal for 14-year- Wal-Mart June 27 becomes Suspect Stephanie -13 & 14 year-olds hold hearings olds to work in J. Crew -20 hour days Honduras Eddie Bauer Gifford lent name to Warner's fight against sweatshops New York City Blouse manufacturing No pay Gifford's husband Wal-Mart Garment district Seo Fashions Back wages gave $300 to each Subcontracting worker for back wages 1996, Honduras Hondurans in Rohter, Larry Global Fashion plant Supervisors abusive Ages 14-16 can July 18 San Pedro Sula 'Sweatshops' See Galaxy Industrial Park -Scream at workers work up to 6 hours a Opportunity -South Korean run -Hit workers day in Honduras -Sexually harass Gifford efforts to Forced overtime help monitor & improve conditions in apparel plants worldwide Some plants subsidize lunch Offer free medical care Air conditioned Allow unions 1996, New York In Quiet Bank, Gonzalez, No windows Injuries August 28 Brooklyn Dreams Grow for David Stacks of shirts -Burned by ironing Immigrant Noise 1996, New York 'Sweatshop' Again Fried, Joseph Garment factory Locked doors Owners & managers Kmart (Kathy Ireland) Kathie Lee September 4 Brooklyn Tied to Celebrity P. Suits and jackets Obstructed aisles arrested -Requires contractors Sunset Park Sprinkler violations -Reckless endangerment - identify subcontractors 900 60th Street Subcontracting Up to 7 years in prison -Regular & surprise inspections
1997, Vietnam Mr. Young gets it Herbert, Bob Nike factories Forced overtime 12 injuries 1 factory official June 27 Wrong Brutal discipline -Workers fainted convicted of physically Corporal punishment abusing workers Abuse 1 under indictment for -Forced to run around factory in abusing workers sun 1 fled country during sexual-abuse investigation 1997, California Sweatshop Raids Greenhouse, Pride Jeans Home work Sued Guess for $ Industrial home Guess Immigrants July 18 Los Angeles Cast Doubt on an Steven Price Jeans -5 homes millions in wage work banned in -Severed relationships Effort by Garment Price Fashions -Sewing machines violations 1940s with 40 factories in Makers to Police the -Bags of garments $87,750 in citations -Too hard to violation Factories Repeated violations regulate Falsifying records -Punch cards -160 employees -113 clocked in
Jeans Plus Back wages $80,000
Kelly Sportswear Home work Child labor 1997 1997, Vietnam Nike Shoe Plant in Greenhouse, Nike plant Chemicals 77% of workers suffer Nike workers November 8 Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam is Called Steven -Workers exposed to carcinogens from respiratory -superior wages Unsafe for Workers 177 times local legal standards problems -superior conditions -Toluene Toluene known to Nike sharply cut -Half of workers who dealt with cause damage to overtime hazardous chemicals did not -Liver Improved wear protective masks or gloves -Kidneys ventilation -More Employee carelessness -Central nervous fans installed Forced labor system Improved safety Subcontracting Reduced toxic Poor ventilation chemicals -Foul air -Excessive heat -Dust exceeding standard x11 Noise Managers abusive
-Yell 74 -Harass 2000, Vietnam Making Nike Shoes Landler, Nike factory Worked exposed to high levels Injuries Switched from toxic Nike April 28 Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam Mark Tae Kwang Vina of toxic chemicals 77% of workers solvents to water- -Said had been working to suffered respiratory based solvents improve conditions before problems Installed powerful problem was publicized fans Earplugs in noisy sections
Vietnam Nike factory Press rubber in metal cast into Running noses soon Chang Shin factory shape of sole after starting job
1998, Indonesia Asia's Crisis Upsets Kristof, Nike to raise June 15 Jakarta Rising Effort to Nicholas D. minimum age to 16 Confront Blight of Admit outside Sweatshops inspections Improve air filtration Thailand Unguarded machinery Needle went through Bangkok Child labor hand twice -15 year-old worker -9 hours a day
1999, Northern Marianas Suit says 18 Greenhouse, Garment manufacturers Over 1,000 safety violations Lawsuit >$1 billion Tommy Hilfiger January 14 Companies Steven Discrimination against 18 American Sears Conspired to Abuse retailers for conspiring to Roebuck & Company Violate Sweatshop -Force pregnant workers to have place thousands of Wal-Mart Workers' Civil abortions workers in involuntary Gap Rights Sleep 7 to a room servitude Nordstrom Barracks surrounded by barbed 1 manufacturer repaid $9 J. Crew wire million in back wages Limited Bathroom restrictions -Foremen limit bathroom breaks Exits locked
1999, Northern Mariana Saipan: Where Faison, Seth Garment factory Poor lighting Lawsuit >$1 billion Gap 15,000 Chinese February 20 Islands Oasis has many -Dull fluorescents against 18 American Tommy Hilfiger workers Saipan Meanings Repeated motions retailers Sears Virtual imprisonment Roebuck -Debt bondage Companies deny charges -Recruiting fee Restrictions -No freedom to leave Saipan Crowded living quarters Vermin-infested Signed contracts -Not to become pregnant -Not to strike -Not to discuss problems -Illegal in US Falsifying records -No specifics on deductions -Workers who live outside barracks still charged room & board -Work hours off the clock
1999, Northern Marianas 4 Companies gain Greenhouse, Garment manufacturing Virtual imprisonment Lawsuit against 18 Monitoring to Agreed to independent 50,000 past & August 10 Islands Accord in Labor Steven -Involuntary servitude American retailers include monitoring: present apparel Suit 4 settling retailers to pay -Unannounced -Nordstrom workers $1.25 million factory visits -Gymboree -Investigations of -Cutter & Buck complaints by -J. Crew workers -Polo (Ralph Lauren) Require that -Donna Karen factories honor basic International rights -Phillips-Van Heusen Not use factories -Chadwick's of Boston using workers who Deny wrongdoing: paid recruitment fees -Gap -Wal-Mart -Tommy Hilfiger 1999, New York Seamstresses AP Dress production Bathroom locked Donna Karen July 1 Manhattan Protest Factory Choe Ltd. No use of phone -Does not own or operate West 38th Street Conditions Couture Enterprises Ltd. Forced to keep bent over work factories Eastpoint International No pay for overtime -Nothing to do with Discrimination conditions -Racist rules -Hispanic women restricted to sew by hand because told they would break machines 75 1999, New York A Seamstress Sues Wong, Chung S. Choe No pay for overtime Federal lawsuit settled Donna Karen December 26 New York City Donna Karan Edward Bathroom restrictions with cash payment -Accusations untrue & West 38th Street Claiming Retaliation -Locked bathrooms 7 workers sued for misdirected for a Lawsuit Could not receive phone calls $215,000
1999, New York High-End Leather, Toy, Vivian Veje Leather factory 30 minutes for lunch Injuries Kate Spade Workers mostly from Kathie Lee September 22 New York City Low-End Labor S. Kate Spade bag manufacturing -No other breaks -Hands -No need to comment Ecuador & 119 West 25th No health benefits -Distance company from Dominican Republic Street 3 holidays a year factory don't speak English Owner stalled contract -No control over factory or negotiations its decisions Bad odor -Industrial glue Repetitive movements -Hammering leather & nylon
Date of Event Date of Location of Event Newspaper Article Author Type of Factory/ Building Conditions of event Start of event Immediate response Consequences Consequences Positive changes or Associated Retailers and Type of victim Honorable Publication (Hazards & Description of by victims/ (Fatalities/ Injuries) (Fiscal and laws implemented their responses present Mentions of incident) employees Responsibility)/ Costs & (If any) (Nationality, previous events Blame gender, immigrant, etc.)
2000, New York Help China and Wong, Henry Poor ventilation Chinese immigrant May 24 New York City Help Chinatown Insanitary Garment worker Chinatown -Dirty toilets Heat
2000, Nicaragua Nicaragua's Trade Gonzalez, Clothing factory Managers abusive September 16 Managua Zone: Battleground David -Taiwanese-owned -Shout at workers for Unions -Hit them on head -Throw flawed garments in their face
2000, South Korea Report Says Global Greenhouse, Garment factory Chemicals September 28 Seoul Accounting Firm Steven Spot cleaner containing Overlooks Factory carcinogen benzene Abuses China Garment factory Chemicals Shanghai -Not wearing gloves -Masks -Proper shoes
2000, Mongolia Citing Child Labor, Kahn, Joseph Clothing factory Child labor $1.5 million worth of Illegal to import Wuxi Guangming Children November 29 U.S. Bans Apparel Dong Fang International - Forced labor imports detained goods made from No comment: from Mongolia -Chinese-owned -Marathon shifts child labor -Guess Plant -Van Heusen
2000, Nicaragua Critics Calling U.S. Greenhouse, Apparel factory Forced overtime Children with protein Army & Air Force 1,800 workers December 3 Supplier in Steven Chentex Managers abusive deficiency Exchange Service Nicaragua a Nien Hsung Textile Company -Scream at workers Wal-Mart 'Sweatshop' -Hit workers Kohl's Bathroom restrictions -Monitored bathroom visits Malnutrition
2001, Mexico Rights Group Greenhouse, Apparel factory Child labor Injuries Nike January 27 Puebla Scores Success with Steven Kukdong factory -Under 16 years-old Workers sick from Reebok Nike -Over 6 hours a day food Malnutrition -Fed workers rancid food 76 2000 2001, American Samoa Beatings and Other Greenhouse, Small factory Safety & health violation Worker lost eye from Plant closed in January J.C. Penney Company 300 workers December 14 February 6 Abuses Cited at Steven Clothing manufacturing Malnutrition being beaten with pipe Factory in receivership -Stopped selling apparel Mostly women from Samoan Apparel Daewoosa -Walking skeletons Workers suing for obtained from factory Vietnam Plant that Supplied -Korean-owned -Withhold food sometimes for hundreds of thousands -Canceled contracts with U.S. Retailers days of dollars the supplier -Broth of rice and cabbage Abuse -Beat workers who return after curfew -Had to be back by 10 PM -Hit, slapped, kicked by guards Sexual harassment -Managers routinely enter women's barracks to watch them shower & dress Crowded -36 workers to a room -2 to a 36" bed Virtual imprisonment Debt bondage Trafficking humans violation Restrictions -No freedom to come and go Back wages -$600,000 -Don't pay workers for months at a time
2001, American Samoa Arrest in Worker AP Garment factory Virtual imprisonment Plant closed in January J.C. Penney Company March 27 Abuse Daewoosa Ltd. -Held workers prisoner Owner arrested -Stopped selling apparel Owner, Kil-Soo Lee -Physically restrained obtained from factory Forced labor Heat Malnutrition -Deprivation of food 2002, American Samoa Apparel Maker in Greenhouse, Apparel company Debt bondage Injuries Court ordered company Hundreds of Chinese April 20 Samoa is told to Steven Daewoosa factory -Recruitment fees -1 worker lost eye to play $3.5 million & Vietnamese Pay Workers $3.5 -Sportswear -No pay -Average $13,000 for 270 immigrant workers Million -Owner Kil-Soo Lee Guards abusive workers -Beaten for returning after Factory closed 15 curfew months ago -Melee workers Owner indicted with Malnutrition -Involuntary servitude -Deprived of food through threats Promised free room & board -Confiscating passports -Sleep 2 to a single bed & return plane tickets -Demanded reimbursements Faces trial Threatened deportation if workers did not return back wages received through Department of Labor settlement
2002, American Samoa Sweatshops under - Garment factory Malnutrition Restitution Gap Mostly women from Daewoosa May 10 the American Flag -Deprived of food -$3.5 million to 270 Dayton Hudson China Beaten workers The Limited Debt bondage 2 1999 lawsuits -Recruitment fees proceeding Labor department recovered $millions Daewoosa declared bankruptcy -Workers may never see back wages owed 2000, 2001, Bangladesh Lives Held Cheap in Bearak, Barry 4-story building Folding gate locked Fire Rushing 52 deaths Damages New safety 1,250 workers November April 15 Narsingdi Bangladesh Chowdhury Knitwears -Gates locked if complain 4th floor Pushing -Most young women -$586,373 from fire equipment after fire Women & children Sweatshops -Managing director Tanveer Trapped Spark from electrical Jumping -10 children -$70,000 machinery $20,000 Chowdhury Lights out spot gun Trampling -1 victim went back in -$20,000 furniture -Smoke alarms Polo shirts Stairs blocked with people -Used to clean Attempts of rescue for left pay Management to blame -Sprinkler system Never fire drills clothing Injuries Fire response inadequate Spread to can of -Hip from trample -Extinguisher malfunctioned flammable liquid prevents easy walking Emergency exit unsafe -Too steep 77 2001, El Salvador Labor Abuses in El Greenhouse, Forced overtime El Salvador Kohl's May 10 Salvador are Steven Threats of firing government to train Gap Detailed in No pay if quotas unfulfilled inspectors better Liz Claiborne Document Poor ventilation Nike -Unhealthy air -Heat Unhealthy water Mandatory pregnancy tests Blacklist for union supporters
2002, Guatemala Labor Brings Greenhouse, Blouse factory Abuse Gap February 1 Witnesses to Tell of Steven -Yell at female workers Polo (Ralph Lauren) a Harsher Side to -Hit them Growth Forced overtime Discrimination Pregnant workers demoted Bathroom restrictions -visits monitored -5 minutes leads to warning letter
2002, New York U.S. Sues a Sweater Greenhouse, Danmar Finishing Falsifying records U.S. Department of Delia's (Shakira) May 2 Brooklyn Factory after a Pop Steven (Previously Mario Sweater) -Record keeping violations Labor sued Danmar for -Severed relationship year Singer Assails It -Had workers clock out after 40 hundreds of thousands prior hours than go back to work of dollars for -Subcontracted underpaying 175 past & present workers
2002, Bangladesh A Push to Improve Greenhouse, Shirt factory Managers abusive Walt Disney Company Kathie Lee September 27 Dhaka Labor's Lot Steven Shah Makhdum -Hit workers Licensee Overseas Discrimination -Pulled out all business -Pregnant women forced to quit No vacation or sick days
1997 2003, Dominican Latin Sweatshops Gonzalez, BJ&B factory Forced overtime Nike 1,600 workers April 4 Republic Pressed by U.S. David Produces caps & clothing for Not allowed to leave early for Reebok Villa Altagracia Campus Power universities school Supervisors abusive -Insulting -Threaten to hit -Verbally humiliate
2003, Honduras A Hip-Hop Star's Greenhouse, Shirt manufacturing Managers abusive Honduran law Sean John (Sean Combs) 380 workers Kathie Lee October 28 Choloma Fashion Line is Steven -Yell at workers prohibits firing -Denies knowledge of Tagged with a -Curse workers for situation Sweatshop Label -Grabbed a worker by throat supporting a union -Will look into Forced overtime Discrimination -Pregnant workers fired -Mandatory pregnancy tests No talking allowed Bathroom restrictions -Pass needed -2 visits a day -Workers called on loudspeaker if in bathroom for more than a few minutes Fixed inspections -Workers ordered not to tell truth to monitors
2002, 2003, El Salvador On Eve of Trade Romero, Textile factory Bathroom restrictions Closed in March 2002 Wal-Mart 300 workers March December 4 Talks, Group Simon Confecciones Ninos No permission for doctor visits J.C. Penney Reports Salvador No vacations Labor Abuses No overtime pay
2004, El Salvador Amid a Trade Deal, Becker, Garment production Restrictions April 6 a Debate over Labor Elizabeth Not allowed water Not allowed permission for bathroom Discrimination -Fired after age 35 Armed guards check id 78 2004, Brazil No Streets of Gold Benson, Small scale garment factories Crowded Offenders can receive Immigrants December 2 São Paulo in São Paulo Todd Korean-run -Basement workspace doubles as fines as well as 2-8 years -Bolivia residence in prison -Paraguay Repeat same task motion Korean couple arrested -Peru Poor lighting -Fined $914 for each of Debt bondage 11 illegal immigrant -Paid journey to Brazil workers -Owner took passports -Awaiting trial on -If worker damages piece, has to criminal charges pay retail price not cost Poor ventilation Forced labor
2005, Mexico Mexico Labor Case Malkin, Children's costumes Abuse Mattel requires Mattel June 12 Mexico City Grows for Maker of Elisabeth Owner Rubie's Costume -Shouted at workers workers to be at -Deny allegations Tepeji del Rio Barbie Gowns Company (based in Queens) -Called them names least 16 years-old -Did not respond Malnutrition Rubie's promised to aggressively to workers' -Food made workers vomit hire workers 16 and complaints Bathroom restrictions older -Did not allow visits -System to identify Forced overtime forged documents -Closed factory doors Commits to paying Made to buy equipment overtime & on time -Work equipment -Belts to carry heavy equipment ($45) -Toilet paper Child labor -8 workers under 16 -No reduced hours -Altered birth certificates Falsifying records
2005 2005, Honduras Fired Officer is Greenhouse, Apparel contractors Managers abusive Walmart April July 1 Suing Wal-Mart Steven -Scream -Dismissed 1,200 factories Discrimination -108 more for child labor -Forced pregnancy tests -Firing pregnant workers No pay for overtime Exits locked -Padlocked Lack drinking water Bathroom restrictions -No toilet paper
2005, Honduras Protest Calls for Pro Picker, David Hansoll factory Locked doors Reebok 1,500 workers July 23 Athletes to help Replica jerseys -Workers locked in 10-13 hours -Own investigation found Mostly women in 20s Stop Sweatshops a day inconsistencies with Forced overtime reported conditions Bathroom restrictions -Enlisting independent -Need permission agency to make assessment Supervisors abusive -Yell -Curse
2005, China Suit Says Wal-Mart Greenhouse, Forced overtime Apparel workers September 14 Shenzen is Lax on Labor Steven No holidays off Abuses Overseas Withheld pay for 3 months Virtual imprisonment
Bangladesh Locked doors Nose bleed from being Lawsuit accuses Wal- Wal-Mart Dhaka Forced overtime hit Mart -Working to improve Forced labor -Negligence monitoring -Threats of firing -Unjust enrichment No days off in 6 months -Fraudulent & deceptive Supervisors abusive practices -Slap face Fixed inspections -Less than 10% unannounced -Managers coach workers on what to say
Indonesia Back wages -Unpaid Supervisor abusive -Yell Swaziland Forced overtime Matsapha -Threats of firing Doors locked 79 2006, Jordan An Ugly Side of Greenhouse, Paramount Garment factory No pay for months Many retailers policy Guest workers May 3 Amman Free Trade: Steven, & Supervisors abusive to work with Mostly from Sweatshops in Barbaro, -Hit factories to improve Bangladesh and Jordan Michael -Jailed when complain conditions rather China Debt bondage than withdraw -Paid $1,000-3,000 to work business -Passports taken Forced overtime -No pay when quota not met Restrictions -No freedom to go elsewhere Owner says offers workers -Free room & board -Sometimes medical care Workers say when sick -Punished -Pay docked
Jordan United Garment Discrimination Amman Manufacturing -Jordanian workers allowed to leave at 4 PM -Foreign workers forced overtime until MIDNIGHT Jordan Western Garment Forced overtime Sick from exhaustion Wal-Mart Sleep on factory floor Fixed inspections -Instructed what to say Malnutrition -Half glass of tea for breakfast -Rice & rotten chicken for lunch No pay for 4 months -If complain, jailed without food -Sent back to Bangladesh
Jordan Honorway Apparel Jordan Falsifying records Wal-Mart Sleepwear -Working off clock Kmart -Wages could not be verified No pay for overtime
Jordan Al Shahaed factory Forced overtime -Sometimes 48 hours straight No pay for 6 months -Abuse when asked -Hit
2006, 2007, India Gap Vows to Gentleman, Textile workshops Child labor Restitution India's Child Labor GapKids (Gap) October November 16 New Delhi Combat Child Amelia -Young as 10 years-old -Back wages Prohibition and -To refine procedures to Labor at Suppliers -Hand embroider -Children to be paid until Regulation Act ensure no child labor -Up to 16 hours a day of working age and then prohibits -Grant of $200,000 to offered employment employment of improve conditions children under 14 in -International conference hazardous jobs, to come up with solutions including -Suspended 50% of orders embroidery industry from vendor -Put vendor on probation
2008, China Seeing the Sights of Nocera, Joe Shanghai Jinjue Fashion Run down buildings Camaïeu April 5 Kun Shan Industrial China: 2 Company 1 room filled with tables and -French brand industrial zone Factories, 2 Futures sewing machines Cafeteria -Rickety chairs -Beaten-up tables Dormitory -Debris littered river Falsifying records -Made in Mexico labels to take advantage of Nafta
2008, New York Apparel Factory Greenhouse, Jin Shun Falsifying records Labor department tagged Banana Republic & Gap July 24 Queens Workers were Steven (Previously Garlee NY -Time records 10,000 items stating they -Cooperate with authorities Long Island Cheated, State Says Previously Venture 47) -2 sets of time cards were produced under -Suspending future 47-51 33rd Street Women's apparel -Cash payments unlawful conditions production -Half hour for lunch, 1 -Urban apparel paid Urban Apparel subtracted from time cards $60,000 to have tags Victoria's Secret No days off removed -Zero tolerance policy -120 days straight Macy's Fixed inspections -Investigating matter -Instructions for false answers when inspectors visit
-Coaching workers to lie 80 -Hour lunch on inspection days 2008, Puerto Rico Economy Cave, Propper International No sick days 3,000 workers December 11 Adjuntas Complicates Labor Damien 8 factories -Workers to disregard health to Dispute American troop camouflage keep sewing uniforms 1 week paid vacation Threats of plant closings and firings 2009, New York Police Uniforms are Sulzberger, Flatiron Building Fixed inspections Restitution 2006 law to seize April 30 New York City Seized in Garment A. G. Clothing manufacturer -Workers coached to lie -$500,000 back wages goods & equipment 45 East 20th Street Factory Raid Forest Uniform Corporation Falsifying records -Damages for 16 current from garment 251 West 39th New York City police officer -2 sets of time cards & former workers manufacturers formal occasion uniforms 400 garments seized charged with Contractor along with equipment multiple labor -Technical Garment USA violations
Date of Event Date of Location of Event Newspaper Article Author Type of Factory/ Building Conditions of event Start of event Immediate response Consequences Consequences Positive changes or Associated Retailers and Type of victim Honorable Publication (Hazards & Description of by victims/ (Fatalities/ Injuries) (Fiscal and laws implemented their responses present Mentions of incident) employees Responsibility)/ Costs & (If any) (Nationality, previous events Blame gender, immigrant, etc.) 2010, 2010, Bangladesh Fire Breaks Out in Manik, 10-story factory Doors locked Fire started around 20-24 deaths Restitution December 14 December 15 Dhaka Top Floors of Julfikar Ali, Garment factory Stacks of clothes lunchtime -Still counting -Company to pay Ashulia industrial Bangladesh & Bajaj, Ha-Meem Group 9th floor Dozens injured families of workers area Garment Factory, Vikas Produce pants Possible electrical killed $1,400 and Killing at Least 20 9th floor finishing area short circuit promised to pay $1,400 10th floor dining hall more
2012, 2012, Pakistan Lax Regulations ur-Rehman, Shoe factory Illegally located residential Fire 25 deaths Mostly men under 25 September 12 September 13 Lahore Blamed as Fires Kill Zia, Walsh, neighborhood Generator caught fire Dozens injured Hundreds in Declan, & Chemicals Pakistan Masood, -Ignited Salman 2012, Pakistan 4-story building Trapped Fire Panic 289 deaths Raided home of owner Majority poor September 12 Karachi Textile factory - Locked doors 2 loud blasts Jumping -Mostly men CEO wanted for working class Baldia Town Undergarments -1 exit unlocked Cause unclear -Most died from questioning Inadequate fire exits -Possibly electrical smoke inhalation Owner & nephew -No emergency exits Injuries wanted for questioning Barred windows -Many survivors -In hiding Factory filled with smoke sustained 3rd degree Damages: Corruption burns Severe structural damage -Inspectors forbidden from -Broken leg Karachi & Punjab factories since Some missing 2003 Flimsily built 2012, Pakistan Anger Rolls Across Walsh, Garment factory Locked doors Fire Jumping 289 deaths Possible charges against Okay Men (German) 600 workers September 14 Karachi Pakistani City in Declan Ali Enterprises -Managers forced workers to Boiler explosion -Many died from 3 factory owners for Multi-cultural Aftermath of stay to save stock Lasted 48 hours smoke inhalation conspiracy to commit Factory Fire Child labor Injuries murder -15 year-old -Burned leg Men yet to be found Barred windows -Burned arm -Not on higher floors Fire safety inadequate -Extinguishers failed Fixed inspections -Forced to lie about conditions -Threats of dismissal
2012, Pakistan Inspectors Certified Walsh, Apparel plant Trapped Fire Jumping Nearly 300 deaths Diesel Hundreds of workers Triangle September 20 Pakistani Factory as Declan, & Ali Enterprises -Locked doors -Denies links to plant Shirtwaist factory Safe before Disaster Greenhouse, -Largely denim -1 exit unlocked Kik (German) fire Steven Barred windows Falsifying records -250 workers registered -1,000 working Fixed inspections -Warned of visits -Coached to lie -Threats of dismissal Factory failed fire safety standards 2007
2013, Pakistan Pakistan's Premier Walsh, Ali Enterprises factory Exits locked Fire 259 deaths Factory owners in jail January 24 Karachi Intervenes in Fire Declan Owners Bhaila brothers -Emergency exits chained since September (4 Inquiry months) 81 2012 2012, Bangladesh Fatal Fire in Bajaj, Vikas 9-story building Approach road for firefighters Fire started 7 PM Crowded >100 deaths Global brands need to Walmart 600 workers working November 24 November 26 Dhaka Bangladesh Tazreen Fashions inadequate Ground floor Escape using -At least 111 take responsibility -Faded Glory overtime Savar Highlights the Tuba Group Not enough exits Warehouse storing construction -Most on 1st & 2nd -Tommy Hilfiger -Unable to confirm if 1,500 employed Dangers Facing Managing director Delowar Top 3 floors under construction yarn scaffolding floors -Gap Tazreen is supplier Garment Workers Hossain Power went out Possibly from Injuries -Walmart -Previously flagged high T-shirts, polo shirts, & fleece electrical fault or -Taken to hospital risk violations jackets cigarette spark -Burns Lasted all night -Smoke inhalation
2012, Bangladesh Documents Indicate Greenhouse, Apparel factory Subcontracting Fire 112 deaths Walmart December 6 Walmart Blocked Steven Tazreen Fashions -Claimed 1 rogue supplier Safety Push in International Direct Group subcontracting without Bangladesh Success Apparel authorization Topson Downs -3 suppliers for Walmart at factory -Blocked effort to have global retailers pay for improved safety in Bangladesh -Terminated business Subcontracted without authorization -Sears -Disney
2012, Bangladesh Recalling Fire's Yardley, Jim 8-story building Building under construction Fire started Thought false alarm 112 deaths Enclosed fireproof C & A (European) 1,150 workers in Triangle December 7 Dhaka Horror and Tazreen Fashions Ltd. Exits blocked Ground floor Panic -69 on 3rd floor room required by -Subcontracting building Shirtwaist factory Exposing Global C & A 3rd floor -Managers told workers alarm Stacks of yarn & Rushing -10 on 5th floor law for storage Walmart Many victims young fire Brands' Safety Gap Walmart 5th floor was test fabric Trample -53 unidentified -Faded Glory rural women with Sears 6th floor -Ordered back to work Help to rescue -Previously found little education Order forms for US Marine -Staircase blocked by fire -Break window bars violations Corps apparel Barred windows with brick -Terminated business Power went out Sears Stacks of yarn & fabric illegally -Terminated business stored ground floor near All denied knowledge electrical generators Subcontracting Chemicals -Toxic fumes -From burning acrylic Fixed inspections -Pictures of fire safety for emphasis -Poor actual training -Taught to use extinguisher -Taught to run down stairs in descending order if fire starts on upper floors -No training if fire starts on bottom No sprinklers No outside fire escape
2012, Bangladesh Factory in AP 9-story building 3 stories legally built Fire started 112 deaths Possible fines Fire department Walmart 1,400 workers December 8 Dhaka Bangladesh Lost Tazreen Fashions Ltd. -9th under construction Ground floor Possible demolition of inspecting 232 Disney Fire Clearance Owner Delowar Hossain Fire safety certificate expired illegal floors garment factories before Blaze -June 30, 2012 -Capital Development -Fire authorities refused to renew Authority chose to do nothing rather than confront Bangladesh's biggest industry 64 garment factories to shut down if fail to fix issues in a month 82
2012, Bangladesh 2nd Supplier for Greenhouse, Women's robes & nightwear Subcontracting 112 deaths Walmart December 11 Walmart at Factory Steven Tazreen garment factory -Says Success Apparel that Burned Tuba Group parent company subcontracted work without Walmart's authorization -Success Apparel Subcontracted work to Walmart approved Simco -Simco subcontracted work to Tuba Group -International Intimates also supplier for Walmart subcontracted to Tuba Group -Walmart terminated business with supplier Success Apparel Sears -International Intimates subcontracted -Sears terminated business with supplier
2012, Bangladesh Bangladesh Finds Manik, 8-story building Trapped Fire started Jumping 112 deaths Suggested charges Recommended Denies knowledge of >1,150 workers in December 18 Dhaka Gross Negligence in Julfikar Ali, Tazreen Fashions factory Exits blocked Ground floor against owner for government task factory: building Factory Fire & Yardley, Owner Delowar Hossain -9 midlevel managers & Fabric & yarn stored unpardonable negligence force to oversee -Walmart Jim supervisors prevented workers illegally Global brands should regular inspections -Sears from leaving after alarm sounded Possible sabotage share responsibility Bangladeshi law -Closed gates requires flammable Escape blocked materials be stored -3 staircases in a room with -Staircases blocked by smoke fireproof walls -No outdoor fire escape Barred windows Chemicals -Toxic smoke No sprinkler system No fire safety certificate
2012, Bangladesh As Walmart Makes Greenhouse, Garment factory Inadequate inspections Fire Law requires Walmart 1,150 workers December 29 Safety Vows, it's Steven, & Tazreen Fashions -Lack electrical and fire safety fireproof warehouse -Will not buy from unsafe seen as Obstacle to Yardley, Jim aspects for storage factory Change Fire hazards Plan for independent -Little interest in changing -Lack of fire alarms international practices -Shortage of extinguishers monitoring -Unauthorized use Escapes blocked -6 suppliers used factory in -Obstacles previous 18 months Lack of emergency lights -Previously rated orange Exit doors on ground floor open risk inward -Proposed recommendations for authorities and owners
2013, 2013, Bangladesh Bangladesh Factory, Manik, Smart Export Garments Subcontracting Fire started Panic 7 deaths Fire safety license Inditex (Spanish company) 300 workers Tazreen fire January 26 January 27 Dhaka Site of Fire that Julfikar Ali, factory Building illegally constructed afternoon 2nd floor Jumping -Females mandatory for all -Denies knowledge of Trapped and Killed & Yardley, Lacked emergency exits -Several teenagers garment factories in factory 7, Made European Jim Lacked extinguishers Several injuries Bangladesh -Leftie's Brands Exit locked -1 critical condition -Bershka -Metal gate -Unconscious French brands No fire license -Seizures -Sol's -Did not apply for one -Scott and Fox Child labor -G Blog by Gemo -One victim 15 KIK (German discount) M. Hidary & Company -Hawaiian Authentics swimwear 2013, 2013, Bangladesh Building Collapse in Manik, 8-story building Violated building codes Factory collapse with Using light of mobile 134-142 deaths Prime Minister could Mango (Spanish) 2,500 workers Tazreen fire April 24 April 24 Dhaka Bangladesh Leaves Julfikar Ali, Clothing factories -Top 4 floors illegally built cracking sound phones -Still counting face political fallout Primark (British) Spectrum Savar Scores Dead & Yardley, Rana Plaza -Foundation substandard Concrete beams & 1,000 injuries Walmart Garments 2005? Jim Ether Tex -Structural cracks pillars collapse -1 hit by ceiling fan -Sympathy for victims Owners of upper floor garment Akin to earthquake Many still trapped -Committed to stronger factories made workers come to safety measures work after inspectors urged C & A (Dutch) building closed Benetton Dust thick -Denied connection to -Breathing a struggle factory Trapped Cato Fashions Inditex H & M
Gap 83
2013, Bangladesh Another Editorial 8-story building Workers forced to work after >200 deaths Blame Prime Minister for Walmart Tazreen fire April 25 Preventable Board cracks appeared in structure failing to act -Offered half measures Tragedy in -Owners threatened wages and Gap Bangladesh firing -Offered half measure H & M Refused to demand or pay for adequate safeguards
2013, Bangladesh Tears and Rage as Yardley, Jim 5 garment factories Cracks discovered day before 5 days of rescue 377 deaths Arrested building owner JC Penney 3,000 workers April 28 Savar Hope Fades in Rana Plaza collapse operations -Still counting hiding near Indian Cato Fashions Bangladesh Owner Sohel Rana Trapped On-site amputations Hundreds missing border Benetton Rescuers overcome buried in rubble Blamed for lying about Primark (British discount) by dust and >650 survivors safety of building Brands expressed sorrow decomposing body Injuries None endorsed tougher odor -Fractured skulls independent inspection -Crushed rib cages programs -Severed livers -Ruptured spleens -Loss of limbs
2013, Bangladesh The Most Hated Yardley, Jim 5 factories Corruption Building collapse Rushing 400 deaths Several factory owners J. C. Penney Tazreen fire April 30 Savar Bangladeshi, Rana Plaza -Rana took property by force morning -Day prior when Others still missing arrested Toppled from a -Police did not confront him Owner escaped from cracks appeared Building owner under Shady Empire -Political allies gave construction basement office arrest permit Involved in illegal drugs -Bribery & guns -Involved in drug trade Bangladeshi court seized -Criminal gang his assets Falsifying records Public insists on -Rana falsified land deed execution Cracks in building day before Rana's father arrested -Engineers declared building unsafe -Needs to be closed -Rana denies crack as problem, says plaster is broken
2013, Bangladesh Good Intent a Daniel, Frank 8-story factory complex Designed as 5-story shopping Building collapse 1,129 deaths Mayor & Islam under Mayor negotiated Mango June 17 Savar Casualty of Factory Jack, Quadir, Rana Plaza center morning -200 from Phantom investigation with buyers for Crash Serajul, & Phantom TAC Built on swampy ground Power went out TAC -Islam in jail longer deadlines to Ortiz, Fiona -Owners David Mayor & Substandard concrete Generators came on -Government panel avoid excessive Aminul Islam Owner built 3 more floors Shook building recommends both face overtime Forced overtime charges of culpable Crack appeared homicide, up to life in -Workers ordered back prison Generators on upper floors
2013, Bangladesh Clothing Brands Yardley, Jim Rana Plaza Malnutrition Collapse >1,100 deaths Owner Mayor Agreed to help December 30 Savar Sidestep Blame for Phantom Tac factory -Food foul disappeared finance $40 million Safety Lapses -5th floor Rana Partner in jail compensation fund -Owners David Mayor & -Gang & criminal activities Rana in jail facing for victims Aminul Islam Child labor charges -El Corte Ingles -Discovered 2012 -Mango Building temporarily closed -Cracks 3rd floor -Engineer said should stay closed -Islam urged workers back
2013, 2013, Cambodia When you Build a Wallace, Julia Manufacturing plant Forced overtime Mezzanine collapse Fear of going back to 2 deaths Government to Rana Plaza May 16 May 23 Phnom Penh Small Roof for the Wing Star Shoes Factory Threats of firing work 11 injuries conduct safety Dog inspection across country 2013, Electrical short-circuit Panic 20 injuries May 20 Stampede -Fainted -Hospitalized
2013, Bangladesh Another Garment Manik, 6-story building Inspectors found shortcomings Fire started 9:30 AM Rush Injuries Williamson-Dickie Rana Plaza June 13 Dhaka Factory Scare in Julfikar Ali, Garment factory -Lack of onsite water resources Ground floor Upper factory -From rush to escape Manufacturing Company Tazreen fire Ashulia industrial Bangladesh & Yardley, Arva Textile Limited Fire did not spread Fabric storage workers able to -Dickies district Jim A.K.A. Arba Delays Locked warehouse escape by two -Halted business with Arva -Floors 1-3 -Firefighters had to break a wall Cause not staircases not passing in February Hasmatullah Knitwear to get to fire determined storage area -No association with other -Floors 4-6 -Had to import water Lasted 2 hours company in building 84 2013, Bangladesh Fast and Flawed Clifford, Rosita Knitwear factory Verbal & psychological September 1 Inspections of Stephanie, & South Ocean harassment Factories Abroad Greenhouse, -Jeering from managers if Steven request sick leave Ongoing physical abuse -Forced to stand if late Guards abusive -Sexual harassment -Beat workers Chemicals -Labels only in English Ineffective monitoring -1 day visit -Yes/no questions
2013, 2013, Italy Deadly Factory Fire Povoledo, Clothing assembly preparation No emergency exits Fire possibly started 7 deaths Charge 4 Chinese citizens December 1 December 6 Prato Bares Racial Elisabetta Teresa Moda Barred windows from camp stove -Chinese workers -Multiple manslaughter Tensions in Italy Dormitories found in adjacent -5 men -Failure to uphold wholesale stores -2 women workplace safety measures -Exploitation of illegal workers Arrest warrants for 11 people, Chinese & Italian -Procuring illegal residence permits Italian partner of company under investigation Dormitory stores shut down
2013, Bangladesh U.S. Flouts its own Urbina, Ian DK Knitwear Child labor Owners of Tazreen & 11 Tazreen fire December 22 Advice in Procuring Marine Corps shirts -One-third of work force employees charged with Overseas Clothing Managers abusive culpable homicide -Punch workers for missing quotas No working alarm system -Previous fires
Thailand Georgie & Lou factory Managers abusive Chiang Mai Smithsonian Institution -Physical harassment clothing -Cameras monitoring workers in bathroom
Cambodia Zongtex Garment Child labor Phnom Penh Manufacturing -2 dozen underage workers Army & Air Force clothes -Instructed to hide from inspectors Bathroom restrictions -Workers sometimes soil selves at machines
Bangladesh Manta Apparels Exits locked Gazipur General Services -Chained Administration uniforms Abuse -Beatings Bangladesh Repurposed apartment 2 floors illegally added Injuries Gazipur building Crack in top floor ceiling -Burns from irons Coast to Coast -6-ft -Require American military base -Leaks when rains hospitalizations clothing Falsifying records -Ordered to keep sewing after time cards clocked out
Mexico VF Imagewear Matamoros Uniforms treated with chemicals Injuries TSA uniforms -Hundreds of rashes of TSA agents Bangladesh 7-story building Cracks in walls Walmart Gazipur Citadel Apparels Workers barefoot -Orange risk rating Boys cotton T-shirts for Army -65% & Air Force bases -Some on roof 50% without masks for cotton dust Falsifying records -16% missing time sheets -Potential forced overtime Exits blocked Stairwells blocked 85 Started 2011 2014, Cambodia Workers of the Wallace, Julia Anful Garments Factory Mass faintings 250 hospitalizations Faintings have halted Wages have risen Mostly young female January 17 Kompong Speu World, Faint! -Heat -Fainting production and set to rise again rural factory Province -Poor ventilation -Food poisoning Monthly bonuses for workforce -Overwork health & -Chemical fumes transportation -Food poisoning -"Spirits" Hard bed Malnutrition -Mystery curry Nurse refused sick worker of going home
2014, Bangladesh Stalemate over Greenhouse, 10-story building Engineers declared unsafe Accord hired 800 employees at Rana Plaza June 25 Dhaka Garment Factory Steven, & Florence Fashions -Too much weight on support engineers for more Florence Safety in Manik, columns thorough inspections Bangladesh Julfikar Ali -Should be evacuated -Government declined shutdown order Florence continued production
Date of Event Date of Location of Event Newspaper Article Author Type of Factory/ Building Conditions of event Start of event Immediate response Consequences Consequences Positive changes or Associated Retailers and Type of victim Honorable Publication (Hazards & Description of by victims/ (Fatalities/ Injuries) (Fiscal and laws implemented their responses present Mentions of incident) employees Responsibility)/ Costs & (If any) (Nationality, previous events Blame gender, immigrant, etc.) 86 87
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