Legislation for codes of conduct covers many facets of human

rights. The Department of Labor has come up with many different acts
to prevent exploitation of labor in the United States and other
countries. Some of the more important acts include the Protect Our
Workers from Exploitation & Retaliation Act (POWER), the Occupational
Safety & Health Act (OSHA), and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
(Fashionably Informed).
The Protect Our Workers from Exploitation & Retaliation Act
states, All workers, regardless of their immigration status, are
protected by federal and state labor and employment laws (Protect
Our Workers). The Occupational Safety & Health Act states that, Each
employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards
and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which
are applicable to his own actions and conduct. The Fair Labor
Standards Act which, Requires US companies to pay their workers no
less than federal minimum wage, and if an employee works over 40
hours a week they are required to grant overtime pay (Fashionably
Informed). These acts came about because many popular retailers
have been accused of such things as underpaying workers, violating
major labor laws, and using sweatshops to produce their clothing and
accessories. These accusations have lead to many lawsuits and
investigations by the US Department of Labor. The Los Angeles Times
did an article that investigated retailer Forever 21 for having alleged

sweatshop conditions. Reporter Shan Li wrote, One systemic problem

plaguing the garment industry is that workers are usually not paid by
the hour but instead are compensated on a so-called piecemeal rate
for every garment produced. That amount is often low enough to
violate minimum wage standards (Li).
In recent history, there have been many lawsuits against
companies violating these labor laws. Gap had their factories in India
raided and there they found children as young as eight years old
working there. The press produced photographic evidence of this,
which sent the company into frenzy. The children working there were
reportedly not receiving any payment. After this scandal, Gap launched
an internal investigation. Well-known company H&M also had factories
in Cambodia that were being investigated. Apparently the shops were
only paying $61 for one month of work. This represents less than 25%
of a fair living wage for the people of Cambodia. The Guardian reported
that nearly 300 Cambodian workers fainted because of the working
conditions in place there. Forever 21 was also investigated for
sweatshop-like conditions and the investigation uncovered many
violations of federal laws on minimum wage, overtime, and record
keeping by vendors. When companies like Forever 21 refuse to
comply with subpoenas, they demonstrate a clear disregard for the
law, Ruben Rosalez, the regional administrator at the Department of
Labor, stated. The Labor Department will use all enforcement tools

available to recover workers wages and hold employers accountable

(Li). The US Department of Labor defines a sweatshop as, an
employer that violates more than one federal or state labor law
governing minimum wage and overtime, child labor, industrial
homework, occupational safety and health, workers compensation, or
industry regulations (Workplace Safety). There are even cases of
injustice where managers in factories threaten and intimidate their
workers. The Human Rights Watch, an organization based on
protecting the rights of people all around the world, interviewed 47
factory workers in 21 factories in Bangladesh and the workers stated
that the had been mistreated and threatened by their managers.
Workers who talk about starting unions have gotten threats so terrible
that even included threats against their lives. Some factory owners will
hire local gangsters to try to intimidate their workers. It is now time
for those in the Bangladeshi garment industry to wake up and realize
that they are endangering their business if they do not comply with
what the US, the EU, and their own government are demanding,
stated Brad Adams, the director of Human Rights Watch Asian division
(Bangladesh). Hopefully the Bangladeshi government will put
precautions in place like the US Department of Labor has to make their
workers feel safer in their environments.

References
Bangladesh: Protect Garment Workers' Rights | Human Rights Watch.
(n.d.). Bangladesh: Protect Garment Workers' Rights | Human
Rights Watch. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/02/06/bangladesh-protectgarment-workers-rights
Fashionably Informed: Exploitation of Labor & Popular Clothing
Retailers. (n.d.). College Fashion. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from
http://www.collegefashion.net/fashion-news/fashionablyinformed-exploitation-of-labor-popular-clothing-retailers/
Li, S. (2012, October 29). Forever 21 investigated for vendors' alleged
'sweatshop' conditions. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 24,
2014, from http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/29/business/la-fimo-forever-21-labor-20121029

Protect Our Workers from Exploitation and Retaliation Act (The POWER
Act, H.R. 2169). (n.d.). Welcome to Congresswoman Judy Chu.
Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://chu.house.gov/bill/protectour-workers-exploitation-and-retaliation-act-power-act-or-hr-2169
Workplace Safety & Health. (n.d.). U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved
April 24, 2014, from http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/safety-health/

Discussion Question:
What is considered sweatshop-like conditions?