Exploitation of Southern California Garment Workers Revealed in Recent Studies

A report from the Labor Department found that 80% of Southern California garment manufacturers and contractors violated the Fair Labor Standards Act, with more than 50% illegally paying workers off the books. The majority of garment workers in Los Angeles are women, most of them from Mexico and Central America. Contractors and manufacturers included in the survey produce garments for sale in stores including national fashion retailers such as Nordstrom, Bombshell Sportswear, Von Maur, Lulus, Socialite, Neiman Marcus, Stitch Fix and Dillard’s.