Creating a Sweatfree World

2028

W&K Steel rejects peace offering

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
02/19/2011

Owners of a Rankin metal fabricating plant rejected a peace offering by the Allegheny County councilman who accused them of running a "sweatshop."

Shortly before announcing he wouldn't try to overturn County Executive Dan Onorato's veto of a bill designating W&K Steel a sweatshop, council President Rich Fitzgerald called the owners, Ed and Celeste Wilhelm.

Council passed the bill Tuesday. Onorato vetoed it Friday...

'Made in Newark' initiative hopes to introduce visitors to city's businesses, locally made products

The Star Ledger
03/17/2011

NEWARK — Activity buzzed inside a nondescript, one-story manufacturing building near Newark’s Branch Brook Park.

Workers from Unionwear carefully cut zippers to length for royal blue gym bags emblazoned with a block-lettered "Made in Newark" logo on the side. Others focused on embroidery machines, guiding threads in red, orange and yellow patterns that spelled out "Go Newark Hoop Fest" on baseball caps.

Protests persuade Russell Athletic to rehire Honduran workers

The New York Times
11/17/2009

 

The anti-sweatshop movement at dozens of American universities, from Georgetown to U.C.L.A., has had plenty of idealism and energy, but not many victories.

In August, members of United Students Against Sweatshops picketed a Target store in Washington, to pressure the retailer to stop selling products made by Russell Athletic.

Until now.

Low-Wage Workers Are Often Cheated, Study Says

New York Times
09/01/2009

Low-wage workers are routinely denied proper overtime pay and are often paid less than the minimum wage, according to a new study based on a survey of workers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

 

The study, the most comprehensive examination of wage-law violations in a decade, also found that 68 percent of the workers interviewed had experienced at least one pay-related violation in the previous work week.

 

Kathy Lee Scandal, Deadly Fire Highlight ´Schmatta´ Story: TV

Bloomberg
10/19/2009

Note from SweatFree Communities: Joe Raico, mentioned in this review and seen in the photo at the Bloomberg link below, attended SFC´s 2006 international conference in New York City. He joined former Bangladeshi garment worker Kalpona Akter on a visit to the memorial for Triangle Shirtwaist Factory workers in Manhattan´s Lower East Side.

New York’s Garment District is being buried in a cheap Chinese suit.

Eagle workers protest plant closure

Standard Times
06/10/2009

NEW BEDFORD — Chanting in Portuguese and Spanish and waving posters that read, "Eagle Jobs Belong in New Bedford" and "U.S. Army Stop ATK, Save Our Jobs," Eagle workers rallied Tuesday to protest plans to close the plant.

Alliant Techsystems announced May 29 that it will shut down the South End factory on July 31 and move production of Army backpacks and vests to Puerto Rico.

The closing will claim 350 jobs and, despite the raw, rainy day, Eagle workers turned out in force Tuesday to protest...

NYPD uniforms allegedly made in sweatshop

UPI
05/01/2009

Some New York Police Department dress uniforms were made by a company that had employees working long hours without overtime, investigators said.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the department had generally been interested in the quality of the work and fabric used and did not investigate labor conditions, the New York Post reported Thursday.

The New York State Labor Department says Forest Uniform Corp. and a subcontractor, Technical Garment USA Co., owe $500,000 to 16 workers. One man who allegedly worked 70 to 80 hours a week may be owed $30,000...

NYPD used a 'sweatshop'

New York Post
04/30/2009

 

Some dress uniforms worn by NYPD cops were stitched together in a Garment District sweatshop where workers toiled up to 80 hours a week without overtime, state officials said yesterday.

The Police Department said it was surprised at the news, and immediately "suspended" the company, Forest Uniform, from its list of companies authorized to outfit officers.

"Our criteria is, we examine their workmanship and the quality of their materials," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. He said the department had never checked on working conditions there...

Police Uniforms Seized in Raid on Manhattan Garment Factory

New York Times
04/29/2009

When state labor investigators raided a clothing manufacturer near the Flatiron Building on Tuesday night, they were surprised by what they found.

Dangling on hangers, ready for delivery, were rows of dress uniforms — complete with the familiar insignia, the gold buttons, the deep blue fabric — intended for use for formal occasions by New York City police officers.

Sweatshop for police uniforms busted

Crain's New York Business
04/29/2009

 

A Manhattan company that produces dress uniforms for the New York Police Department was busted Tuesday evening by the state Department of Labor for underpaying workers, concealing sweatshop conditions and failing to register as a garment manufacturer. The goods and equipment were confiscated from the Garment District factory by the Dept. of Labor’s Apparel Industry Task Force, which headed the investigation.

The unpaid wages for the 16 shop workers is estimated to be around $500,000...

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