We are pleased to announce a great victory! Garment workers have again successfully held manufacturer accountable for the labor violations they endured. This victory is especially significant because today it is very difficult to win under the present legal system.

Two years ago, a group of workers in a factory making garments almost exclusively for manufacturer Necessary Objects came forward after not being paid for many months. They were also never paid overtime, despite 84-hour workweeks. Necessary Objects continued contracting with the factory operating under different names for over 3 years, even after the Department of Labor (DOL) found rampant violations in these factories operated by the same individual, Tom Chan. Necessary Objects - who contracts with department stores such as Nordstrom, Dillard and Macy's - was well aware of these violations.

Unfortunately, the New York joint-liability law is extremely weak. It has rarely been used since it was passed in 1998. This law protects retailers, allows manufacturers easily off the hook, and is hard to enforce. In the past, before the Liberty Apparel case, whenever the Federal or State DOL failed to recover backwages for workers, workers usually went to court and used the Federal law instead of the State law. Despite this, with the support of the CSWA Garment Workers' Network and the great work of the New York State Attorney General's Office, workers were able to overcome the weakness of the law, pin down the manufacturer, and win back their compensation.

The victory achieved by Necessary Objects workers and the recent change in leadership of the New York State DOL not only energizes us, but also helps us to see the importance in changing the New York Labor Law. We must grab this opportunity to organize to make the manufacturer accountable.

Join us to call for:
Changing the New York State law to ensure retailer, manufacturer and contractor accountability
Stronger enforcement of worker protections
A national boycott against Liberty Apparel, to further educate the public about the importance of eliminating the subcontracting system and holding manufacturers accountable

Sincerely,

The Ain't I A Woman?! Campaign