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news
SweatX
aims to end sweatshop labor abuse
By Scott Lowman
Special to the On-line Forty-Niner
In an industry
where much of the labor is cheap and many of the workers are
underpaid, a new company has emerged that will hopefully change
the old myth that it is impossible to maintain a good quality
of work life while producing clothing at a competitive price.
SweatX, a company
developed by Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream mogul Ben Cohen,
is the causal clothing company that hopes to turn the garment
industry's work ethic around.
SweatX is a new
line of casual active wear targeted at the college market
launched in the fall of 2001. Its focus of developing "sweat-free"
clothing has consumers and many in the industry skeptical.
Ilse Metchek, director
of the California Fashion Association, said basic apparel
like sweatshirts, jeans and undergarments have moved to Mexico,
China and other countries where labor is cheaper.
"It will be
interesting to see whether shoppers will be willing to pay
a premium for a T-shirt just because the worker who made it
was paid and treated well," Metchek said.
Though many are
skeptical, the managers and union workers behind the label
believe differently.
"We feel that
there are people out there that believe in our message,"
said Doug Waterman, SweatX's president and chief financial
officer.
Waterman also noted
that because production workers are organized under UNITE,
the garment union, the brand hopes to be a major supplier
for labor unions and governments.
The managers and
factory workers of SweatX are motivated by the idea that you
can manufacture a financially successful garment factory and
still provide economically meaningful compensation to apparel
workers, alongside making a profit.
What makes this
company so unique is its management concepts. Because workers
will be part owners of the business, productivity levels within
the company hope to be high, Waterman said.
What makes SweatX
different from its competition is that it's a worker-owned
and unionized factory that puts the interests of the workers
at the top, alongside financial success.
Providing livable
wages, full health benefits, profit sharing and pension plans,
in turn motivates employees to produce quality products, said
Scott Reed, SweatX's director of community affairs.
Only 20 production
workers are employed now, but Waterman said he hopes that
figure will be up to 80 within a year.
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