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An in-depth analysis of a successful worker strike against the New Era Cap Company in Derby, New York that is one of the poorest communities in Western New York (WNY) is described. The analysis was carried out within a social movement framework to identify the way in which power dynamics in the contemporary global economic system could be contested at the local level.

This paper explores changing relationships between apparel firms and rural labor markets in Wisconsin over the last decade. Mainstream explanations of recent changes in the apparel industry suggest that rural communities will lose tedious or physically demanding, low-skilled apparel manufacturing jobs but will gain more information-intensive and desirable 'apparel service' employment. Through case studies of apparel firms located in two Wisconsin communities, the paper argues that current changes in the industry not only affect communities unevenly but, even in regions where apparel service firms have provided significant numbers of new jobs, these jobs are less well paid, more casually structured, and less secure than manufacturing employment has been. The paper argues that current concepts of the economic embeddedness of firms in communities need to be refined to permit consideration of the kinds of leverage and voice that community organizations have in confronting new forms of corporate capital. The two case studies demonstrate that corporate embeddedness and its labor market outcomes are linked to changes in the global market in which firms compete.

Social scientists and historians have long recognized the interaction between fashion and social stratification. The present paper examines the clothing worn by women during two important strikes in the labor history of the United States--specifically, the 1909 Shirtwaist Strike in New York City and the wave of strikes in the Southern textile mills during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Although separated by a generation and geographic region, both strikes possessed similarities that reveal a great deal about the evolution of women in the workplace during the first three decades of the last century. Specifically, (1) both strikes were in industries populated heavily by women and almost devoid of systematic labor organization; (2) in both strikes clothing was utilized by women to simultaneously reflect solidarity and emphasize their linkage to society at large; (3) both groups of strikers were faced with a generally hostile press--generally more concerned with what the women wore on the picket line than with the substantive issues of the strike, and (4) when juxtaposed, these strikers, and the often controversial fashions associated with them, mirrored the changing role of women over a time span marked by the right to vote, a World War, the 'flapper' era, and the rise of media culture-especially the film industry. Overall, the analysis demonstrates how the study of clothing can add texture and tangibility to important events in the labor history of the United States.

This paper focuses on labour practices in the Thai garment industry. In the context of developments in the Asian garment and textile industries, the authors investigate key factors effecting the [...]

This article examines the efforts of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) to bring about medical inspections of the mostly Jewish immigrant laborers. The author argues that the ILGWU's activities demonstrated the importance of organized labor in relation to occupational safety, however, the medical treatment and advice females and males received reinforced gender inequality.

Issues discussed concern the impact of globalization and production processes on the political activity of labor unions in the garment industry. Topics addressed include the work of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees and the Stop Sweatshops Campaign to fight for the improvement of labor conditions.

An analysis is presented on the formation of a labor union in the Guatemalan Phillips Van Heusen shirt factory, and its implications for management-employee relations in other maquiladoras. Topics include the importance of establishing corporate codes of conduct, which create pressure on companies to follow through on promises to their workers.

Cet article presente une partie d'une entrevue avec Helen Aitcheson, presidente du Syndicat du vetement, textile et autres industries (SVTI) qui aborde les changements dans le marche de l'exportation des [...]

The power of unions decreased in 1995. The unions were unable to block the North American Free Trade Agreement, reform labor law, prevent the Republicans from taking control of Congress, or stop the practice of permanent strike replacements. The AFL-CIO membership declined, and the country's three largest industrial unions merged. The Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations issued a report criticizing current labor law as not protecting workers' rights and not supporting collective bargaining.

Labor agreements have been reached in the the trucking, apparel, rubber, public utility, electronics, building service, chemical and food industries. Furthermore, the Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations released its findings in June 1993. According to the commission there has been a decline in American productivity, and the economy has become more globalized. Service industries have grown, while the manufacturing sector has declined. The commission also noted that collective bargaining has become less common.

Bangladeshi women workers sew garments for one of the best-known entertainment companies in the world and in return they are looted of their well-deserved pay and treated with disgust. The life that they live is highlighted.

The scale and scope of outwork in Australian clothing industry are discussed followed by an examination of variety of strategies that addressed outwork over the past decade. The difficulties of assigning responsibility for exploitative conditions under circumstances where the employment relationship is ambiguous are highlighted.

THE KUK DONG SWEATSHIRT FACTORY in Puebla, Mexico is rapidly becoming a litmus test of Nike's commitment to ensuring that workers' rights are respected by its subcontractors. 800 Kuk Dong [...]