TEXTILE EMPLOYEES (UNITE)
New York Union Shop Allegedly a Sweat Shop
The Asian Am. Legal Def. & Educ. Fund, on behalf of five employees
at a N.Y.C. factory, filed a class action lawsuit June 7 claiming they
were forced to work 80-hour work weeks without overtime; were often paid
by the piece, and that the pay they did receive often came to less than
minimum wage. They are seeking class action status on behalf of the roughly
300 workers who sew Donna Karan garments. Donna Karan Int'l does not own
the factory.
Most shocking, the employees are represented by Union of Needletrades, Indus. & Textile Employees Local 89-22-1. Richard Rumelt said his local was "outraged this was going on." He said, "we weren't aware of the conditions." The Chinese Staff & Workers Ass'n, an advocacy group that often accuses UNITE of not representing workers vigorously, help bring the suit. [N.Y. Post, N.Y. Times 6/8/00]
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