On my quest to learn more about Forever 21 I came across some shocking information. In the previous years F21 has faced lawsuits regarding sweat shop labor in the U.S and overseas, but denies any responsibilities. The documentary “Made in L.A” explains the lives of these workers. “We worked ten to twelve hours a day for subminimum wages and no overtime”, said Esperanza Hernandez one of the garment workers. “ A lot of our factories were dirty and unsafe with rats and cockroaches running around.” The Garment Industry doesn’t ask for experience or paper work and assume they can treat their undocumented workers however they want. When workers wanted to negotiate with the company, Forever 21 denied negotiation.
The Garment worker center is a non-profit community center that was started by a coalition of immigrant rights groups who have been helping workers for many years. They are against the garment industry and how they treat their workers. The Garment worker center allows them to fight back against their employers and take action to change the sweat shop conditions in garment factories. The GMW is also there for anyone who has questions or is looking for information or assistance. On their website you can volunteer or donate to their organization!
Although Forever 21 has nice clothes and such an appealing look to their store they treat their workers wrong; everyone should be treated equally. A woman from "Made in L.A" stated that an employer told her that if she didn't like it she could leave! I do shop at forever 21, simply because im infactuated with the style of clothing they sell. Now that I'm aware of these past issues, when I walk into Forever 21 I'm sure I'll think about my learnings. I'm curious to know how many workers actually know the truth behind the company their working for. As of right now I'm not really sure of how to feel about Forever 21.
More on Forever 21 and sweat shops...
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php
http://www.39thandbroadway.com/hate-21/
http://foreverunfair.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/an-interview-with-a-forever-21-manager/
http://garmentworkercenter.org/background.php
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