Sweatshops: A Sad Truth that still continues

00:11:26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9k3nmcOhZA

Summary

TLDRThe video explores the ongoing issue of sweatshops, focusing on both historical and current contexts. Sweatshops are characterized by harsh working conditions and low pay, and they persist in both developing and developed countries like the US. Notably, brands like Nike and Zara have been implicated in maintaining sweatshops globally. The video criticizes companies for outsourcing production to evade corporate responsibility, exploiting legal loopholes such as labeling themselves retailers to avoid labor laws. Despite awareness and activism, change has been slow, partly due to economic arguments justifying the status quo. The video argues that exploitation stems from companies prioritizing profit over human dignity. It also highlights that some brands are making efforts to improve conditions, though often inadequately. Ultimately, the video suggests ways consumers can avoid supporting unethical fashion practices, such as buying from brands committed to labor rights and offers resources to guide ethical purchasing decisions.

Takeaways

  • 🧵 Sweatshops remain a significant issue, impacting workers globally, including in the US.
  • 🏭 Many famous brands, including Nike and Zara, have been accused of using sweatshops.
  • 📉 Companies often exploit legal loopholes to avoid responsibility for worker conditions.
  • 📢 Activism has led to some improvements, but change remains slow.
  • 🛑 Sweatshops prioritize low production costs over the well-being of workers.
  • 🗣️ Economic arguments often justify sweatshop existence, despite ethical issues.
  • 🔍 The video calls out brands for failing to adequately address sweatshop conditions.
  • 🇺🇸 Even in California, where laws exist, companies find ways to bypass regulations.
  • 👗 Ethical consumerism is encouraged to combat sweatshop practices.
  • 🛒 Consumers are provided with resources to support brands that respect labor rights.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The video begins by defining a sweatshop as a workplace with poor standards, underpayment, and long working hours, often linked to big corporations in the fashion industry. It mentions historical roots dating back to the 1820s and continues to highlight that these practices persist today, with brands like Nike being accused of running sweatshops globally, including within the USA. It notes sweatshops' prevalence in countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia, illustrated by refugee children working long hours, and emphasizes modern incidents and conditions like fires and fainting due to poor working environments.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:11:26

    The discussion progresses to why outsourcing by US, Canadian, or UK companies happens, primarily for cost efficiency. It criticizes exploitative views, including an economist's controversial stance on the necessity of this exploitation for survival. The video mentions improvements driven by activists' pressure but critiques corporations for avoiding responsibility by outsourcing production and exploiting legal loopholes to evade liability. It highlights a Bangladeshi factory collapse as an example of severe consequences and discusses low wages in US factory contracts, suggesting ways for consumers to help break the cycle by supporting ethical brands.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What are sweatshops?

    Sweatshops are workplaces with extremely low standards, where workers are underpaid and overworked, often in harsh conditions.

  • Which industries are most associated with sweatshops?

    Sweatshops are commonly found in the clothing and fashion industries.

  • Are sweatshops still in existence today?

    Yes, sweatshops continue to exist globally, including in developed countries like the US.

  • How does the video suggest companies exploit workers?

    Companies often outsource manufacturing to avoid responsibility, paying workers low wages while labeling themselves as retailers, not manufacturers.

  • What countries are often associated with sweatshops in the video?

    Countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, and Ecuador are mentioned as having sweatshops.

  • What are some brands accused of using sweatshops?

    Brands like Nike, Puma, and Zara have been accused of using sweatshops.

  • How do companies evade legal repercussions for sweatshop practices in the US?

    They label themselves as retailers and not manufacturers, exploiting a legal loophole to avoid responsibility for workers' wages and conditions.

  • What does the video suggest about public reaction to sweatshop revelations?

    People often feel helpless and distract themselves rather than taking action due to the overwhelming nature of the issue.

  • How can consumers help combat sweatshop practices?

    Consumers can support brands that are against sweatshops and focus on ethical labor practices.

  • What legal changes in California aim to combat sweatshops?

    California passed an anti-sweatshop law in 1999, but retailers are exempt from it, which companies exploit.

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  • 00:00:00
    I'm sure some of you would already be
  • 00:00:01
    familiar with the term sweatshop but for
  • 00:00:03
    those of you who aren't a sweatshop is a
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    term used to describe a workplace that
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    has extremely low standards and usually
  • 00:00:10
    under pays workers while having them
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    work for extremely long hours this is
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    usually large corporations that value
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    low costs over the lives and well-being
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    of their workers commonly found in the
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    clothing and fashion industry the
  • 00:00:23
    history of sweatshops go way back to the
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    1820s people worked to make union
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    service codes like this one and other
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    jackets during the Civil War in 1864
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    when people think of sweatshops and
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    other cruel forms of work we think yeah
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    well that was in the 19th and 20th
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    century right that stuff doesn't happen
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    right now
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    well unfortunately these practices
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    continue on today as well Nike and many
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    other brands have been accused of
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    running sweatshops all around the world
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    for most activists or at least people
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    that are read on this topic are aware of
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    this when people think of sweatshops
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    they usually think of factories in other
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    parts of the world like Bangladesh
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    Cambodia China or Ecuador what if I told
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    you there are sweatshops present in the
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    US yep there are sweatshops in the US
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    where workers are being paid
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    unbelievably low wages which are illegal
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    Before we jump into that story we need
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    to take a deeper look into the history
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    of sweatshops through our modern era and
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    why sweatshops are even being practiced
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    at all
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    for these refugees classrooms are a
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    distant memory ten hours a day six days
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    a week
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    they make jeans annie is 12
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    his younger brother Yasin is 10 we have
  • 00:01:51
    to work our family doesn't have any
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    money
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    we can't go to school anymore on the
  • 00:02:00
    first day I worked one hour I left it
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    was too hard I really want to go back to
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    school because I don't know how to read
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    or write let's first look at how bad
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    sweatshops can really get an article on
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    the Guardian goes into detail in regards
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    to this topic I'm going to be quoting
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    many articles during this video and all
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    links will be in the description to
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    their original sources interviews taken
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    from The Observer and Dan watch shed
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    light on the conditions of what it was
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    like for workers in Cambodia nor in
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    Sofia from the collective union of
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    movement of workers said mass panic had
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    occurred when one woman suffered a
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    seizure in a factory where temperatures
  • 00:02:40
    were later found to be reaching 37
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    degrees Celsius workers feared for their
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    lives in one incident when 28 people
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    collapsed rushing to escape a fire at a
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    factory supplying Nike another described
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    panic after thick smoke seeped into a
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    factory supplying Puma I heard the
  • 00:02:59
    explosion smoke came into the factory
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    workers were afraid and panicked I ran
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    to the gate to get out it was locked but
  • 00:03:07
    I ran to the managers door more and more
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    workers came behind other workers could
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    not run to get out and I heard they
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    started fainting it got to the point
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    that workers in factories that produced
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    for Zahra
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    mango and next left hidden messages sewn
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    into the clothing asking for help hoping
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    that customers would find it and help
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    them fight for their right to get paid
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    here are some quotes from workers and
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    factories for Zahra mango and next one
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    morning we came to work and the firm was
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    gone the shutters were closed down our
  • 00:03:41
    boss had disappeared we had no other
  • 00:03:43
    choice but to start this campaign
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    we put these tags on garments across
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    every Zara store in every shopping mall
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    across Istanbul we don't want to harm
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    Zara that's not what this is about but
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    we want what is owed to us Zara
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    responded by creating a hardship fund
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    for workers left unpaid but I can't help
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    but wonder what would have happened had
  • 00:04:06
    these workers not pleaded in this very
  • 00:04:08
    clever way they literally had to hide
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    messages in the clothing for customers
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    to discover and then ended up getting
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    280 thousand signatures on a petition
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    which then made Zara and the
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    manufacturing factory pay their workers
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    it goes without saying that had these
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    workers not taken these drastic steps
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    they wouldn't have gotten paid this is a
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    common trend we see among corporations
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    and even the police department at this
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    point these companies don't take
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    responsibility until they are cornered
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    with either real evidence or in the case
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    of the police department undeniable
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    video proof there were also 500 workers
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    that fainted in factories that supplied
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    to Nike Puma and many other brands these
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    quotes help form a picture of what it's
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    like in terms of conditions in these
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    factories a Southeast Asia field
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    director for the worker rights
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    consortium taken from an article on the
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    Guardian said there is no proper
  • 00:05:04
    investment in an adequate working
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    environment and no investment in the
  • 00:05:07
    living wage if workers are fainting it
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    should be a clear indication you need to
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    do something more drastic Nike has made
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    a statement saying we take the issue of
  • 00:05:16
    fainting seriously as it can be both a
  • 00:05:18
    social response and an indication of
  • 00:05:20
    issues within a factory that may require
  • 00:05:23
    corrective action all right so things
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    are trying to be done to fix these
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    issues but why is this even a practice
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    why outsource all your production for
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    clothing when you're a company based in
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    the US Canada or the UK why don't the
  • 00:05:37
    companies just produce their products in
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    the country they're based it's quite
  • 00:05:41
    simple it's cheaper to produce in other
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    countries this practice has been present
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    for years and is still present to this
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    day there are many Joseph's occasions
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    given by many corporations and
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    economists that this is actually
  • 00:05:53
    benefiting these communities all right
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    let's take a look at some of their
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    justifications
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    an economist once said the misery of
  • 00:06:01
    being exploited by capitalists is
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    nothing compared to the misery of not
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    being exploited at all
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    okay this point of view truly infuriates
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    me and I think it's best put by Trisha
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    Stryker at a TED talk about this topic
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    but people say are we not doing them a
  • 00:06:19
    favor by giving them business and
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    stimulating their economy isn't working
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    in a factory at any wage better than the
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    other alternative is available to them
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    for example working as a prostitute or
  • 00:06:33
    selling your child into slavery or
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    leaving your village your family and
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    your children behind for months on end
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    to work for wickedly low wages and
  • 00:06:44
    unsafe working conditions
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    this is not a choice this is the
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    exploitation of vulnerability companies
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    are profiting of their need to work we
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    need to respect these people treat them
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    like we would treat workers in Australia
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    because this would not happen in
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    Australia the idea that we can view
  • 00:07:07
    someone in a less advantageous situation
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    and think that it's morally justifiable
  • 00:07:12
    for us to exploit their current
  • 00:07:14
    situation is beyond me
  • 00:07:16
    I do understand the point of view of the
  • 00:07:18
    Economist that these countries and
  • 00:07:20
    workers would starve without these jobs
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    at those factories but that doesn't mean
  • 00:07:25
    we get to take advantage of their need
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    to exploit it in maximize production and
  • 00:07:30
    efficiency over the years the heat has
  • 00:07:33
    been on these companies from activists
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    and organizations so things have
  • 00:07:37
    certainly been changing for the better
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    that being said it's fascinating to see
  • 00:07:42
    corporations devise new techniques to
  • 00:07:44
    avoid blame in regards to sweatshops
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    this is a common method utilized by
  • 00:07:49
    brands to avoid blame brands would
  • 00:07:51
    outsource their production to
  • 00:07:53
    manufacturing companies in other
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    countries with lower wages and maximize
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    production in many cases all well
  • 00:07:59
    knowing that these conditions might not
  • 00:08:01
    be too standard but yet turning a blind
  • 00:08:03
    eye due to scrutiny from inspection
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    organizations and activists conditions
  • 00:08:08
    have been raised but firstly it
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    shouldn't take protests and large
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    amounts of scrutiny to be a human being
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    human meaning not exploiting workers to
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    the point of fainting or in some cases
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    death just to fill your pockets secondly
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    outsourcing manufacturing and claiming
  • 00:08:25
    to be blame free is just nothing but
  • 00:08:27
    intentionally turning a blind eye to
  • 00:08:29
    Inconvenient Truth
  • 00:08:30
    there has been another horrific incident
  • 00:08:33
    at a garment factory in Bangladesh an
  • 00:08:36
    eight story building collapsed today
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    killing at least 145 people and injuring
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    hundreds of others this just months
  • 00:08:44
    after a fire killed more than a hundred
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    people and put the unsafe working
  • 00:08:48
    conditions at many factories in the
  • 00:08:50
    global spotlight now there are brands
  • 00:08:53
    working to improve these conditions but
  • 00:08:55
    it's just sad to see how slow movement
  • 00:08:57
    for change is when there are people
  • 00:08:59
    suffering and dying
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    so we can wear a new pair of pants the
  • 00:09:04
    time says investigations by the US
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    Department of Labor from 2016 to 2019
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    found factories in Los Angeles
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    contracted by fashion OVA workers were
  • 00:09:14
    being paid as little as two dollars and
  • 00:09:17
    seventy seven cents an hour that is
  • 00:09:19
    absolutely ridiculous the State of
  • 00:09:21
    California's minimum wage is $12 an hour
  • 00:09:24
    now you're probably wondering how on
  • 00:09:25
    earth are brands getting away with these
  • 00:09:27
    crimes it's simple
  • 00:09:29
    the outsource their production and
  • 00:09:30
    manufacturing and are labeled as a
  • 00:09:33
    retailers and not manufacturers this
  • 00:09:36
    simple change in their label as a brand
  • 00:09:38
    exploits a loophole in the law the state
  • 00:09:41
    of California passed a law in 1999 the
  • 00:09:44
    landmark anti-sweatshop legislation
  • 00:09:46
    persons damaged by failure of a garment
  • 00:09:49
    manufacturer job or contractor or
  • 00:09:51
    subcontractor to pay wages or benefits
  • 00:09:53
    of course the one entity that is exempt
  • 00:09:57
    from paying this is the retailer so as
  • 00:10:00
    long as you are the retailer you
  • 00:10:02
    outsource all your manufacturing whether
  • 00:10:04
    that be in Cambodia Bangladesh or the
  • 00:10:06
    United States it doesn't matter the
  • 00:10:08
    retailer holds no liability and doesn't
  • 00:10:10
    have to pay the charges what David well
  • 00:10:13
    told the LA Times sums up the situation
  • 00:10:15
    pretty well they forced the production
  • 00:10:18
    costs to as low as they want because of
  • 00:10:20
    their power in the supply chain with the
  • 00:10:22
    result of ultimately the workers bearing
  • 00:10:24
    the whole cost and risk of the system
  • 00:10:27
    this whole problem devolves from the
  • 00:10:30
    retail the common feeling among people
  • 00:10:33
    after finding out about sweatshops and
  • 00:10:35
    other cruel performs of production is
  • 00:10:37
    one of two reactions either feel bad and
  • 00:10:40
    then try to escape the feeling by
  • 00:10:42
    distracting themselves with Netflix
  • 00:10:44
    YouTube or something else this happens
  • 00:10:47
    due to the feeling of helplessness and
  • 00:10:48
    not knowing what to do so I won't end
  • 00:10:51
    this video that way but a rather will
  • 00:10:53
    give you ways in which you can help and
  • 00:10:55
    avoid being part of this vicious cycle
  • 00:10:57
    of fast fashion and sweatshops I leave
  • 00:11:00
    in the description a link to brands that
  • 00:11:02
    are against sweatshops and are focused
  • 00:11:04
    on the safety and treatment of garment
  • 00:11:06
    workers so I save you the time of having
  • 00:11:08
    to do the research yourself and thanks
  • 00:11:11
    for watching
  • 00:11:11
    [Music]
Tags
  • sweatshops
  • labor rights
  • exploitation
  • Nike
  • Zara
  • fashion industry
  • ethical consumption
  • global labor issues
  • corporate responsibility
  • activism