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Return to Calendar    
   
Title: Forever 21 Protest
START DATE: 6/30/2002
START TIME: 12:00 PM
Duration: 3 Hours
Location: Forever 21
Location Details:
Corner of 8th St. and Oxford
Event Topic:
Event Type:
Contact Name: Garment Worker Center
Contact Email:
Contact Phone: 213-748-5866
DESCRIPTION:
In Los Angeles, workers from six factories who sewed for the popular women's clothing line Forever 21 are calling for an official boycott. The workers are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in minimum wage and overtime pay. They worked long hours in un safe and unsanitary conditions. And, some of the workers were fired for speaking out about the poor conditions.

"We worked ten to twelve hours a day for subminimum wages and no overtime," said Esperanza Hernandez, one of the garment workers. "A lot of our factories were dirty and unsafe, with rats and cockroaches running around."

"At first they promised that I would be paid 0 to 0 per week," said Araceli Castro, who also sewed Forever 21. "But when I went to pick up my first paycheck, it was only for 0 even though I had put in extra hours in overtime. My boss claimed tha t she would pay me more when there was more work, but she never did."



The Garment Worker Center helped the 19 workers strategize how they could work as a group to support each other in their cases. Workers decided they should target both the popular clothing retailer and the individual factories to demand their wages. In the garment industry, retailers sit at the top of the industry ladder and subcontract production to manufacturers and sewing contractors (or factories). For too long, this subcontracting system has allowed retailers, like Forever 21, to reap enormous pro fits off the backs of sweatshop workers who occupy the bottom rung of the ladder. With projected earnings of up to 0 million in 2001, Forever 21 lies at the top of the hierarchy of power in the garment industry and has the greatest ability to ensure th e workers' wages and to improve conditions in the factories they do business with.

Workers originally attempted to negotiate directly with the management of Forever 21. However, Forever 21's refusal to negotiate, to offer a just settlement, and to cooperate in the state investigation of the workers' claims prompted workers to step up the pressure and file a lawsuit in September against the label. The Asian Pacific American Legal Center is representing the workers in their legal case. The lawsuit seeks unpaid wages, damages and penalties, as well as assurances from Forever 21 that th ey do not use sweatshop labor.

The Forever 21 workers announced an official boycott on November 17. Taking advantage of the approaching holiday shopping season, workers will picket every Saturday through the New Year and step up outreach to university students and community groups to build support for their campaign.

Workers are at the forefront of this battle, demanding accountability from retailers and raising awareness among consumers. The workers have recognized the potential they have as a group to demand widespread changes in the garment industry.

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