Monday, November 3, 1997
Bruins, former workers attack Guess? policies
PROTEST Protesters target alleged wage violations, sweatshop
conditions
By Mike LaFemina
Daily Bruin Contributor
On Saturday afternoon, Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica
was lined with orange balloons and leaflets, but not because of a
Halloween celebration. Instead, UCLA students and representatives
of a prominent textile union marched and handed out information to
protest Guess?, Inc. for its alleged sweatshop practices in Los
Angeles.
From noon until 2 p.m., patrons of the Santa Monica shopping
plaza witnessed about a dozen students and activists marching with
picket signs in front of a local Guess? store. While protesters
chanted, "Shame on Guess?. Don’t buy Guess?," passersby received
leaflets and balloons describing the clothing company’s alleged
inhumane treatment of garment workers.
The Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees
(UNITE), the largest textile union in the nation, organized the
protest outside of the local Guess? store to raise consumer
awareness of alleged illegal practices by the popular clothing
company. These practices include minimum-wage violations, lack of
overtime pay, under-the-table cash payments and homework, a
practice banned decades ago because of the high probability of
child labor.
Guess? lawyers have denied these charges and said that the
designer monitors its subcontractors for compliance with labor
regulations.
A few former employees of Guess? subcontractors participated in
the demonstration. Fabiola Fonseca, 30, a former employee of a
Guess? subcontractor in California, said that she had worked 10 to
14 hours a day and was paid per article of clothing, not
hourly.
"We didn’t even make minimum wage," Fonseca said.
Guess?, Inc., a $500 million clothing empire, has been the
subject of much public scrutiny as of late because of such
allegations. In August 1996, a group of garment workers filed a
class-action suit that accused Guess? and 16 of its subcontractors
of paying their workers less than minimum wage. There have been no
convictions to date. In addition, that same summer, five
contractors for the company were cited by California inspectors for
illegal home-sewing operations.
In response to these findings, the U.S. Department of Labor
(DOL) put Guess? on indefinite probation from the Trendsetter List,
a list comprised of companies which the DOL considers to be
manufacturing garments under humane and legal working
conditions.
Several UCLA students, including members of the Friends of Labor
Coalition, a student organization committed to social and economic
justice, were present at the protest to display their disapproval
of Guess?.
"The goal is to raise awareness on three different levels," said
Raj Jayadev, 22, a fifth-year political science major and
participant in the protest. "First, for the consumer, to make them
think twice about their responsibility. Secondly is the workers.
They need to know there is a community that supports them. Thirdly
is Guess?, Inc. They need to realize consumers and students are
becoming more aware about their practices."
"We are trying to make the public aware of the fact that Guess?
clothes are being produced in sweatshops here in Los Angeles," said
Ben Hensler, 30, a field representative for UNITE.
Representatives from Guess? and employees at the store were
unavailable for comment regarding the protest.
Opinion at the scene was divided. "These people think they’re
helping the workers, but they’re not," said Steve Sweeney, 33, of
Studio City, a patron at the Third Street Promenade. As foundation
for his opinion, he referred to that fact that Guess? has not been
convicted for the sweatshop allegations.
However, the protest may have had an effect. During the two-hour
period, few consumers entered the Guess? store to purchase
clothing. Deidre Zauss, 22, a patron at the Promenade and
fourth-year UCLA philosophy student, returned a pair of pants she
had recently purchased from Guess?, saying, "I don’t feel right
supporting a company like that."
UCLA does not sell Guess? clothing on campus.
JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/ Daily Bruin
Ex-employees, supporters gather outside Third Street’s Guess?
store.