11 Facts About Sweatshops

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1. A "sweatshop" is defined by the US Department of Labor as a factory that violates 2 or more labor laws.^[United States General Accounting Office. "Sweatshops in the U.S: Opinions on Their Extent and Possible Enforcement Options." GAO, 1988. Web Accessed February 19, 2014.]
2. Sweatshops often have poor working conditions, unfair wages, unreasonable hours, child labor, and a lack of benefits for workers. Take a stand and protest: Ask your school to make its apparel under fair conditions. Sign up for Tighty Whitey Rally.^[United States General Accounting Office. "Sweatshops in the U.S: Opinions on Their Extent and Possible Enforcement Options." GAO, 1988. Web Accessed February 19, 2014.]
3. In developing countries, an estimated 168 million children ages 5 to 14 are forced to work.^[International Labor Organization. "Global Estimates on Child Labour." International Labour Conference, 2013. Web Accessed March 2, 2014.]
4. America has stronger labor laws than most undeveloped countries, but it is not free of sweatshop conditions. Many labor violations slip under the radar of the US Department of Labor.^[Bernhardt, Annette, Ruth Milkman, Nik Theodore et al. "Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers: Violations of Employment and Labor Laws in America’s Cities." National Employment Law Project, 2009. Web Accessed February 19, 2014.]
5. Products that commonly come from sweatshops are garments, cotton, bricks, cocoa, and coffee.^[Bureau of International Labor Affairs. "List of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor." US Department of Labor, 2014. Web Accessed February 19, 2014.]
6. A study showed that doubling the salary of sweatshop workers would only increase the consumer cost of an item by 1.8%, while consumers would be willing to pay 15% more to know a product did not come from a sweatshop.^[Robert Pollin, Justine Burns, and James Heintz. "Global apparel production and sweatshop labour: can raising retail prices finance living wages?" Cambridge Journal of Economics, 2004. Web Accessed February 19, 2014.]
7. Sweatshops do not alleviate poverty. The people who are forced to work must spend the majority of their paycheck on food for their families to survive.^[Elliott, Kimberly Ann and Richard B. Freeman. "White Hats or Don Quixotes? Human Rights Vigilantes in the Global Economy." National Bureau of Economic Research, 2003. Web Accessed February 19, 2014.]
8. Child labor is especially common in agriculture (98 million, or 59% of child laborers work in agriculture), followed by services (54 million) and industry (12 million).^[Miller, John. "Why economists are wrong about sweatshops and the antisweatshop movement." Challenge: The Magazine of Economic Affairs, 2003. Web Accessed February 19, 2014.]
9. The majority of child laborers are found in Asia and the Pacific. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence, with one in five children in child labor.^[International Labor Organization. "Global Estimates on Child Labour." International Labour Conference, 2013. Web Accessed March 2, 2014.]
10. According to one survey, more than 2/3 of US workers experienced at least one pay-related violation in the previous work week. Assuming a full-time, full-year work schedule, workers lose an average of $2,634 annually due to violations.^[nternational Labor Organization. "Global Estimates on Child Labour." International Labour Conference, 2013. Web Accessed March 2, 2014.]
11. Because women make up 85 to 90% of sweatshop workers, some employers force them to take birth control and routine pregnancy tests to avoid supporting maternity leave or providing appropriate health benefits.^[Bernhardt, Annette, Ruth Milkman, Nik Theodore et al. "Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers: Violations of Employment and Labor Laws in America’s Cities." National Employment Law Project, 2009. Web Accessed February 19, 2014.]