The Basic Necessities of Life

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The Basic Necessities of Life

• A subset presentation based loosely on a paper
  entitled, Women in the U.S. Textile and Garment
  Industry.

by Jennifer Leslie
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A little history

• Lowell Mills, Massachusetts 1836
• International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union
  (ILGWU) 1900
• Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) 1903
• Triangle Shirtwaist Fire March 25, 1911
• Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile
  Employees and Hotel Employees and Restaurant
  Employees (UNITE HERE) 1995, 2004

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International Labour Organization. 20 April 2006.
SEGREGAT database Data on employment by sex and
detailed occupational groups
UNITED STATES (2000) in hundreds of thousands
(http//laborsta.ilo.org/, http//laborsta.ilo.org
/applv8/data/segregate.html)
Occupation Occupation Total Total Total Total Total Men Men Men Men Men Men Men Men Women Women Women Women Women Women Women Women Women
Occupation Occupation Total Total lt35 years gt35 years gt35 years Total Total Total Total lt35 years lt35 years gt35 years gt35 years Total Total Total Total Total lt35 years lt35 years gt35 years gt35 years
Dressmakers Dressmakers 77 77 11 67 67 6 6 7 7 2 2 3 3 72 72 72 93 93 9 9 63 63
Precision textile, apparel, furnishings machine workers Precision textile, apparel, furnishings machine workers 192 192 45 147 147 88 88 45 45 28 28 60 60 104 104 104 54 54 16 16 87 87
Tailors Tailors 27 27 7 20 20 18 18 66 66 4 4 14 14 9 9 9 33 33 3 3 6 6
Upholsterers Upholsterers 64 64 24 40 40 50 50 78 78 21 21 29 29 13 13 13 20 20 3 3 10 10
Shoe repairers Shoe repairers 15 15 3 13 13 10 10 66 66 1 1 8 8 6 6 6 40 40 2 2 4 4
Misc. precision apparel fabric workers Misc. precision apparel fabric workers 8 8 0 8 8 4 4 50 50 0 0 4 4 4 4 4 50 50 0 0 4 4
Winding twisting machine operators Winding twisting machine operators 48 48 17 32 32 11 11 22 22 5 5 7 7 37 37 37 77 77 12 12 25 25
Textile, apparel, furnishings machine operators Textile, apparel, furnishings machine operators 854 854 303 551 551 264 264 30 30 124 124 140 140 591 591 591 69 69 179 179 411 411
Knitting, looping, taping, weaving machine operators Knitting, looping, taping, weaving machine operators 28 28 6 22 22 9 9 32 32 2 2 7 7 20 20 20 71 71 5 5 14 14
Textile cutting machine operators Textile cutting machine operators 3 3 1 3 3 3 3 100 100 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 33 33 - - 1 1
Textile sewing machine operators Textile sewing machine operators 425 425 136 288 288 92 92 21 21 48 48 45 45 333 333 333 78 78 89 89 244 244
Shoe machine operators Shoe machine operators 7 7 3 4 4 2 2 28 28 2 2 0 0 5 5 5 71 71 1 1 4 4
Pressing machine operators Pressing machine operators 81 81 38 42 42 27 27 33 33 15 15 12 12 54 54 54 66 66 25 25 29 29
Laundering dry cleaning machine operators Laundering dry cleaning machine operators 214 214 82 132 132 92 92 42 42 44 44 48 48 122 122 122 57 57 38 38 84 84
Miscellaneous textile machine operators Miscellaneous textile machine operators 48 48 18 30 30 28 28 58 58 9 9 18 18 20 20 20 41 41 9 9 10 10
Total Total 2091 2091 694 1399 1399 704 704 33 33 306 306 397 397 1391 1391 1391 66 66 162 162 996 996

Total U.S. Economy 135208 135208 135208 135208 135208 135208 Textile Industry of U.S. Economy Textile Industry of U.S. Economy Textile Industry of U.S. Economy Textile Industry of U.S. Economy Textile Industry of U.S. Economy Textile Industry of U.S. Economy Textile Industry of U.S. Economy Textile Industry of U.S. Economy Textile Industry of U.S. Economy 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

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Table 3. Median hourly earnings of the largest occupations in textile, textile product, and apparel manufacturing, May 2004 Table 3. Median hourly earnings of the largest occupations in textile, textile product, and apparel manufacturing, May 2004 Table 3. Median hourly earnings of the largest occupations in textile, textile product, and apparel manufacturing, May 2004 Table 3. Median hourly earnings of the largest occupations in textile, textile product, and apparel manufacturing, May 2004 Table 3. Median hourly earnings of the largest occupations in textile, textile product, and apparel manufacturing, May 2004
Occupation Textile mills Textile product mills Apparel Manufacturing All industries
First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers 19.35 18.49 15.23 21.51
Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders 11.91 11.77 9.68 11.48
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers 10.87 10.50 8.62 13.66
Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders 10.80 10.59 9.82 10.56
Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders 10.54 11.74 9.55 10.87
Team assemblers 10.40 11.45 9.07 11.42
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand 10.09 9.22 8.60 9.67
Helpers--Production workers 9.83 9.30 8.00 9.70
Sewing machine operators 9.35 9.08 8.08 8.61
Packers and packagers, hand 9.30 8.55 8.46 8.25
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Textile, Textile
Product, and Apparel Manufacturing. U.S.
Department of Labor. 20 April 2006.
lthttp//www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs015.htmearningsgt.
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Not so hypothetical questions

• If you could buy cute clothes made in the U.S.
  that were ethically sound, with sewing machine
  operators receiving 12.50/hour, along with job
  security, health care, an ESL program, massage
  therapists and paid days off, would you do it?
• Is the value of your clothes worth more than the
  basic needs of another human being?

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Humanity needs four basic things to survive
and

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and
SEX
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What does SEX have to do with poor women locked
into buildings with no ventilation and receiving
below minimum wage??

• Everything! American Apparel, the current
  standard for a successful, sweatshop-free apparel
  manufacturer, still uses womens bodies to make a
  buck. While their female factory employees are
  receiving exceptional benefits compared to other
  women internationally, American Apparel cannot
  sell ethical without selling sexual.

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Here are the women who work for American Apparel
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So much for freedom on International Womens Day
Ironically enough
The first IWD was observed on 28 February 1909
in the United States following a declaration by
the Socialist Party of America. Among other
relevant historic events, it commemorates the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, where over 140
women lost their lives. The idea of having an
international women's day was first put forward
at the turn of the 20th century amid rapid world
industrialization and economic expansion that led
to protests over working conditions. Women from
clothing and textile factories staged one such
protest on 8 March 1857 in New York City. The
garment workers were protesting what they saw as
very poor working conditions and low wages. The
protesters were attacked and dispersed by police.
These women established their first labor union
in the same month two years later.
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women
27s_Day
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And here are the women that work for American
Apparel
How old is this girl? 12?
Valeria Valeria models some of our bathing suits
while at our company apartment in Montreal.
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(No Transcript)
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Is she selling clothes, childrens furniture or
sex?
Sheily Mexico City Retail Employee
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(No Transcript)
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Mia A retail employee in New York, Mia was
photographed at our apartment there wearing the
Lamé with our leggings.
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(No Transcript)
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Sona A student of forensics, Sona also knits
sweaters that she sells to retailers in New York.
Who is that guy?
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(No Transcript)
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Bibliography

• Model photos from
• American Apparel. Gallery. 26 April 2006.
  lthttp//www.americanapparel.net/gallery/photocolle
  ctions/models/index.htmlgt.
• All worker photos from
• American Apparel. Meet Our Workers.26 April
  2006. lthttp//www.americanapparel.net/mission/inte
  rviews/gt.
• American Apparel. Recent and Provocative Ads.
  26 April 2006. lthttp//www.americanapparel.net/pre
  sscenter/ads/gt.
• American Apparel. What Does AA Do for Its
  Workers? 26 April 2006 http//www.americanapparel
  .net/mission/workers.html
• Chicago Woolen Mills 1937 catalog. Wikipedia.
  27 April 2006. lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image
  Chicago_woolen_mill_suits1.jpggt.
• Fighting the Triangle Factory fire, New York
  City on March 25, 1911. Wikipedia. 26 April
  2006. lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ImageTriangle
  _Factory_fire_005.jpggt.
• Houses in Fishpool Street, St Albans,
  Hertfordshire, England. 12 October 2003.
  Wikipedia. 26 April 2006. lthttp//en.wikipedia.org
  /wiki/Image20031012-002-houses-st-albans.jpgfile
  gt.
• ImageMeatfoodgroup.jpg. Wikipedia. 26 April
  2006. http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b
  7/Meatfoodgroup.jpg
• Sprinkle, Annie. Annie in the 70s.
  ANNIESPRINKLE.ORG. 27 April 2006.
  lthttp//www.anniesprinkle.org/html/about/photos/19
  70s/index.php?currDirgt.