Garment Industry Practices

Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman spoke about solutions to abusive working conditions and employment practices in the garment industry in what are commonly known as sweatshops. She reviewed the accomplishments of the Clinton administration on this issue and said that when companies monitor their factories in accordance with government regulations there is greater compliance with the law. She cited a recent survey conducted in San Francisco that showed that monitoring yielded an 87% compliance rate in that city alone. Secretary Herman said it was her hope that the administration would serve as a catalyst to ensure that as many companies as possible would work to monitor conditions in their own factories. close