This poem is dedicated to the garment workers of LA who are paid under the minimum wage. Go to the comments to learn more.
Oh down in LA,
People work all night and day,
People from places,
Seeing new faces,
Oh down in LA
Work and work, that they do,
Dress by dress,
Thread by thread,
Hours upon hours,
Days upon days,
Threads forming a maze,
Courage they seek,
But it’s easy to feel meek,
As working in LA
Really doesn’t pay,
And in the
Fashion industry
It’s pure misery
You might have thought,
That sweatshops were naught,
But here is the proof,
No need to sleuth
No need to search for truth,
Scared to face bosses,
Afraid of the losses,
Money is short,
Afraid to retort,
Below the law wage,
Fear bosses will rage,
Working dangerously fast,
Happiness is in the past,
“What can we do,” you ask?
Well, I have a task,
It’s for you,
All of you,
Have you ever wanted to make a difference?
Have you ever thought you could help?
You can make a difference,
You can help,
One step at a time,
So join me,
Speak up and loud,
Don’t let people ignore you,
You are powerful,
You can change the world
One step at a time.
Oh down in LA.
Comments
LA fashion industries that make popular clothes treat workers badly. My class the article LAist by Julia Wick about the LA fashion industry. We learned that sweatshops aren’t just a thing of the past. “According to the Garment Worker's Center, garment workers earn an average of $5.15 per hour” (Wick) That is way below the law’s required pay. It’s below the lowest pay requirement in the US. The managers of the buildings in which the people work in sell the clothes they make for waaay more than the workers make. In the article Made in America, Santa Puac told them that, “‘It’s not enough to take care of our families.’” (Guy) One person who works in the industry gets a mere 15c per dress! That means that the people want to work really fast so they can get more money. Unfortunately, that caused worker Bilma to have chronic pain in her hands and knees. The fashion industry in LA produces a lot of the latest fashion clothing, selling clothes to TJ Maxx and more popular clothes stores. The work isn’t the only thing that makes the industry terrible. Someone who works there said the bathrooms are “soiled and unmaintained” (Wick, LAist: Garment Workers Face Horrific Workplace Conditions.) We need to do something about this! Share this info with the people you know. Spread the word that things still aren't right! I could go on and on why this fashion industry is wrong, but I’ll stop here. Research which brands buy from LA and stop buying them!
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