Worker Exploitation

Industrial disasters, such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire have resulted in changes to textile working conditions in the U.S. and Europe. However, these poor conditions have been shifted overseas as production increasingly became outsourced. By the twentieth century, the majority of textile production was located in China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, Malaysia, and India (Burcikova pp. 3). In India, the clothing industry has a workforce of over 38 million people and each household has at least one member working in textile factories (Mukherjee pp. 9). China accounts for 30% of apparel exports globally and is now the largest producer and exporter of fast fashion garments (Claudio pp. 3).

The U.S National Labor Committee reported that Chinese textile workers made 12-18 cents per hour with substandard working conditions. Labor’s have to work in conditions including poor ventilation, harsh chemicals from dyes and small fibers that are inhaled, large

amounts of crude oil are also used which release emissions such as unstable organic compounds, small particles, and acid gases. All of these health hazards can lead to debilitating and life-threatening conditions such as respiratory disease, lung cancer, endocrine dysfunction adverse reproductive and fetal outcomes, musculoskeletal problems from repetitive motion tasks, and death (Bick pp 2). While many of these workers are adults, there is an unfortunate amount of children employed in this industry who face these deadly conditions daily. In peak seasons, workers, including child laborers, work up to 36 hours straight to fulfill overseas order demands. During this time they are often deprived of food and water and even bathroom usage. Women in this industry are often subjected to sexual harassment and physical torture along with poor working conditions, low wages, and long hours. Since these jobs require little comprehension and skill, workers lack knowledge of their rights to form unions and are even prevented from forming unions (Mukherjee pp. 10). In the United States, immigrant workers are victims of exploitation and wage theft as well.