Essay On Sweatshops In Chinatown

Sweatshops in Chinatown

Sweatshops were never an unusual site in Chinatown, however it was after government action took place against them and the nation’s best media outlets ran in-depth stories, that they gained national attention. People began to hear stories of immigrants working 15-hour days within filthy garment factories for wages, below the minimum pay line. Over time, sweatshops have gained a negative connotation, which they deserve for the working conditions they have set in place for their employees. To be even rumored of running a sweatshop in New York could destroy your reputation amongst clients as proven by Koichi Utsugi, in an article for the New York Times. After employees from the New York State Department of Labor raided his workplace, Utsugi lost countless clients. “I have so little work. Three of my biggest customers, they’re gone. They all pulled out because of this,” (Feuer 1). Utsugi was found not guilty, nevertheless the raid had an everlasting effect on his business, proving that although sweatshops were and possibly still are abundant, they remain heavily looked down upon by the general public.

Sweatshops started up as immigrant families began to

appear in the nation’s largest cities. They were run by middle class businessmen taking advantage of families in unfortunate financial situations. In Chinatown, there was a system set in place, used by most employers. In front of their building they would have a sign, one most likely written in Chinese, asking for employees. Within the buildings, there would be a similar setup; no outdoor light, rusty machines, defective equipment, and numerous workers. Jane H. Lii from the New York Times was a reporter who was said to have infiltrated a sweatshop in Chinatown. After working for seven days, and a total of 84 hours, she didn’t receive a paycheck, only a promise that she would be given $55 in three weeks’ time (Lii 1). Sweatshops were a common business in New York’s Chinatown due to the immigrants believing that their options were limited. “When you have an education and speak the language, you can afford to be choosy,'' said Lin Qing. ''But for people like us, there aren't that many alternatives. We have to compromise. If we don't like what we do, we stay home and starve,” (Lii 2). Workers within sweatshops put aside any hope of another job. Their abilities were not in demand by the common employer so their livelihood was largely confined to labor. Sweatshops throughout Chinatown became the sole hope for Chinese immigrants as no other employers in New York could offer jobs to candidates with such limited abilities.
In New York City, Chinatown’s garment industry rose due to the surge in immigrants during the 1940’s. Sweatshops were not as abundant as they were in the 80’s because back then old remodeled bachelor pads were used. There was a plain structure within the factory; the employees would be paid based on how many items of clothing they made and vacation days or health coverage were unheard of. Since the amount of clothing made determined pay, employees worked 12 to 15 hour days. "[My mother] was working so many hours. . . . She came home so late that one day when she came home early I asked her who she was because I didn't know her.” - Winifred C. Chin (APA NYU 3). As time went on, more buildings were put up for the use of sweatshops. In a document written by the GAO, it was mentioned that there were around 145 establishments that violated federal wage laws between 1986 and 1988, all of which were presumably Chinatown sweatshops.
Sweatshops in New York’s Chinatown were vital to Chinese immigrants needing dependable sources of income to support their family.

Immigrants had no choice but to work tirelessly to ensure that they would be able to survive. Their working conditions were horrid and natural light was omitted from the interior of the factories. They weren’t allowed to take leave and their payment was determined by the number of clothing pieces they made. The garment industry itself, took off after a growth in Chinese immigrants coming into New York City. From then on out, it became a standard to work long hours with little pay. Sweatshops in Chinatown were widespread and required backbreaking work from their employees and degraded the quality of life for immigrants, whether it be in the office or

financially.