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July 19, 2003    DOL Home > ESA > WHD > Garment > Report: Oct. - Dec. 1998

Garment Enforcement Report: October 1998 - December 1998

Wage & Hour Division
U.S. Department of Labor
Alexis M. Herman, Secretary

FY1998 Fourth Quarter Garment Enforcement Report

The Department of Labor is committed to eradicating garment sweatshops and bringing the garment industry into compliance with U.S. labor laws. Encouraging manufacturers to be aware of which contractors consistently violate the law, and to monitor formally their contractors for compliance with minimum wage and overtime laws, is an important step toward the goal of bringing long lasting positive changes for workers in the industry.

To that end, the Department of Labor has developed a multi-pronged strategy of enforcement, recognition, education and partnerships to eradicate worker abuse in the U.S. garment industry.

Enforcement

The Wage and Hour Division conducts targeted enforcement sweeps in major garment centers and notifies manufacturers of the "hot goods" provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act which prevents the shipment of goods made in violation by contractors.

Recognition

The Department is working with and encouraging the industry to develop recognition programs to highlight best practices for others to follow.

Education

Through its garment public service announcement initiative, the Department utilizes print and radio public service announcements and a new Internet World Wide Web site to provide information to consumers interested in helping to combat worker abuse.

Partnership

Working with retailers, manufacturers, unions, consumer groups, religious organizations, worker advocates, and other concerned parties, the Department of Labor serves as the catalyst for collective action.

This report consists of a contractors and manufacturers list and enforcement statistics for the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, October 1, 1998 through December 30, 1998. The manufacturers list contains the names of firms Wage and Hour has contacted to notify them that contractors with whom they do business have been investigated and found to violate the FLSA. The report also contains enforcement results in the industry from the third quarter.

We have designated by bold face type firms that appeared on prior reports.

The Department of Labor believes that manufacturer monitoring programs are a key tool for improving contractor compliance with the FLSA. Wage and Hour staff are available to provide technical assistance to any company that would like to learn how to implement cost-effective internal monitoring. The phone number of the Wage and Hour office closest to you can be found in the government blue pages section of the phone book, listed under U.S. Labor Department, Employment Standards, Wage and Hour Division.

Enforcement in 3 Major Garment Centers

October 1998 - December 1998
Map of U.S. highlighting data found in table (below).

 

Garment Enforcement Summary
October 1998 - December 1998
 

TOTAL

DALLAS

NEW YORK

ATLANTA

CALIFORNIA

CHICAGO /
KANSAS CITY

BOSTON

Number of Investigations Conducted

175

2

63

10

51

1

29

Number of Investigations with Violations

55

2

13

3

29

1

2

Amount of Back Wages Recovered

$636,191

$5,456

$126,771

$7,841

$369,693

$7,229

$7,386

Number of Receiving Back Wages

1,290

18

316

31

863

17

5

Civil Fines Imposed

$135,395

$0

$15,215

$0

$120,040

$0

$0


Apparel Manufacturers Contacted
October 1998 - December 1998
How the list was compiled:

As part of its enforcement process, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division contacts a garment manufacturer when an investigation reveals that a sewing contractor with whom the manufacturer does business has violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Listed below are the names of manufacturers contacted between October 1, 1998 and December 30, 1998 and informed of contractor violations. In a few cases the manufacturer contact occurred earlier, but inclusion of the case in the report was delayed. The contractors and manufacturers are included on this list based on investigative findings of violations, not a judicial determination that any firm has violated the law.

Except where noted, the violations have been resolved and back wages paid by either the contractor or the manufacturer. If all or part of the back wages found by Wage and Hour to be owed to the contractor's employees have not been paid, this is noted by the designation "unpaid" in the Back Wages column. Payment of back wages does not constitute an admission of liability by any firm.

Only cases in which Wage and Hour found back wages due in excess of $1,000, whether for employees of a contractor or manufacturer, are included on the list. Manufacturers on the list did not necessarily receive goods produced in violation of the FLSA for which back wages were owed, or pay all or part of the back wages: Wage and Hour notifies manufacturers of violations by contractors with whom they did business during the relevant time frame regardless of whether the goods involved were produced for that manufacturer. The manufacturer may or may not still be doing business with the contractor.

The contractors are listed in descending order by the amount of back wages found due. The severity of contractors' violations, however, cannot be compared on the basis of the dollar amounts on this list. Back wage amounts paid to contractor employees vary based upon the facts, circumstances and time periods involved. When there has been no final determination of whether there were any FLSA violations, or, where there were violations, of the amount of back wages owed, the case is listed at the end of the Report with the notation "In Dispute" in the back wage column.

Footnotes designate manufacturers that were contacted because of their own violations; manufacturers that have agreed to monitor or are monitoring their contractors for future compliance; and manufacturers that appear for the first time on a Garment Enforcement Report. Firms that have been included on prior Reports are in boldface type.

The Report presents all information available to the Department of Labor as of the date of publication with respect to the reported investigations. If the Department obtains new information pertinent to an investigation on the Report after that date, it will update the Report, both the Internet and hard copy versions, to reflect that new information.

This list does not constitute an endorsement by the federal government of any company, nor does it constitute disapproval of any company.

 

Apparel Manufacturers Contacted
October 1998 - December 1998

Contractor

Back wages found by Wage & Hour to be due contractor employees

Manufacturers Identified as Doing Business with Contractor During Investigation Period

Mott Street Production
128 Mott St.
New York, NY 10013

$142,010

Dani-Max
1400 Broadway
New York, NY 10018
D.J. Summers 31400 Broadway
New York, NY 10018
Virgo Fashions 3
1400 Broadway
New York, NY 10018

Trinity Knitworks
1721 Trinity
Los Angeles, CA 90015

$122,995

Atlas Sportswear 3
4105 Airport Way South
Seattle, WA 98108
Gilrichio 3
500 Spectrum Circle
Oxnard, CA 93030
MCB, Inc.
2317 S. Santa Fe Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90058
Girls/Skateboard 3
3017 kashiwa St.
Torrance, CA 90505

Just Fashion
265 Canal St.
New York, NY 10013

$54,986

Renlyn Fashion 3
498 7th Ave.
New York, NY 10018

AC Express
133-49 37th Ave.
Flushing, NY 11354

$38,842

Merryl Diamond, Ltd.
1384 Broadway
New York, NY 10018
Wild Life Sportswear
1411 Broadway
New York, NY
Savion 3
1384 Broadway
New York, NY 10018

World Best Sewing
9395 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90015

$25,000

Mystic, Inc. 3
521 E. 11th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Golden Star
1144 San Julian St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Jo-Eun
425 W. 11th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015

$20,000

Four Seasons 3
3187 S. Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90058
Groove 3
110 S. San Pedro St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Newport Apparel Corp.
6850 Walthall Way
Paramount, CA 90723
Impressions
5500 S. Boyle Ave.
Vernon, CA 90058
Lorenzo 3
425 W. 11th
Los Angeles, CA 90015

K.V. Sportswear
9860 Rush St.
S. El Monte, CA 91733

$15,289

Moshay, Inc. 2
6199 Malburg Way
Vernon, CA 90058
Azteca 2
5804 E. Slauson Ave.
Commerce, CA 90040
L'koral 2
5175 S. Soto St.
Vernon, CA 90058
Sweet for Two 3
3015 S. Alameda
Los Angeles, CA 90058
PLI 3
1261 S. Boyle
Los Angeles, CA 90023

IS Fashion
309 E. 8th St
Los Angeles, CA 90014.

$12,768

Pio Studio 3
901 E. 31st St.
Los Angeles, CA 90011
Sky 3
1045 S. Los Angeles St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
EG Sportswear, Inc. 3
1800 S. Main St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Sharnell 3
1100 S. San Pedro St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Picasso 3
1405 E. 15th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021

Maria Cindy Fashion, Inc.
8203 Lankershim Blvd.
No. Hollywood, CA 91605

$11,492

Kayo of California 2
161 W. 39th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90037

Terri Fashion
10429 Rush St.
S. El Monte, CA 91733

$11,113

Romance Du Jour
200 W. 140th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90061

D.T. Fashion
10148 E. Rush St.
S. El Monte, CA 91733

$11,047

Group B Clothing Co.
2950 E. Vernon Ave.
Vernon, CA 90058
Daisy of California 2
1010 Sycamore Ave.
S. Pasadena, CA 91030

Vero Tran, Inc.
1712 Potrero Ave.
S. El Monte, CA 91733

$8,352

Espresso Clothing Co. 3
1941 Santa Anita Ave.
S. El Monte, CA 91733

G&A Bias
3610 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90007

$8,317

Great Escape
1543 Newton St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
London Lady
3917 S. Hill St.
Los Angeles, CA 90037

(1)

$8,250

Four Seasons 3
3187 S. Alameda
Los Angeles, CA 90053

2000 Knitwear Manufacturing
2227 Merced Ave.
S. El Monte, CA 91733

$8,217

Espresso Clothing Co. 3
1941 Santa Anita Ave.
S. El Monte, CA 91733
J.R.B.
2115 Troy Ave.
S. El Monte, CA 91733

Daniyelyan Osvep
6158 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

$8,005

Sanctuary 3
10507 Burbank Blvd.
No. Hollywood, CA 91601

Discovery Sportswear
310 71st St.
Guttenberg, NJ 07093

$7,796
(mfr. contact 6/98)

Periscope Sportswear
2075 91st St.
North Bergen, NJ 07047

Aldo Finishing
722 Metropolitan Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211

$7,496

RJS Group, Ltd. 2,3
43-23 Queens St.
Long Island City, NY 11101
LJJ, Inc. 3
29 Wythe Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Warchol Garment Co., Inc.
2000 W. Carroll

$7,299

Arthur Keifer & Assoc. 3
4211 Highway 173
Chicago, IL 60612 Zion, IL 60099
A Month of Sundays 3
363 W. Erie St.
Chicago, IL 60610

Adrianna's Fashion
551 A Jessie St.
San Fernando, CA 91340

$6,041

Sew Forth, Inc. 3
551 B Jessie St.
San Fernando, CA 91340

(1)

$5,509

MHPG Incorporated 3
355 Main St.
Whitinsville, MA 01588

VL Apparel
2322 Troy Ave.
S. El Monte, CA 91733

$5,350

Bonkers
2313 S. Sante Fe Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90058

D&J Fashion Co.
1811 Johnston St.
Los Angeles, CA 90031

$5,232

I.L.U.
2221 E. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
Dixietex Int'l, Inc.
1026 S. Wall St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Orbit 7
2020 Hawkin Circle
Los Angeles, CA 90001

M&J Fashion, Inc.
939 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90015

$5,136

XOXO
6000 Sheila St.
Commerce, CA 90040

T&F Fashions
66 Oliver St.
Newark, NJ 07102

$4,657

New Age 3
463 7th Ave.
New York, NY 10018

Washington Sportswear
1 South Park
San Francisco, CA 94107

$4,047

Pacific Sunwear
5200 E. LaPalma Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92807
No Fear
2251 Faraday Ave.
Carlsbad, CA 92008

Domestic Sweaters
476 A. Jefferson St.
Brooklyn, NY 11237

$4,033

Fashion Ave. Knits
1710 Flushing Ave.
Ridgewood, NY 11385

J&Y Company
1807 E. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90021

$3,947

Violation 3
521 E. 11th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Angela Fashion 3
635 S. Clarence St.
Los Angeles, CA 90023

Jancy Fashion, Inc.
907 Jupiter Rd.
Garland, TX 75042

$3,608

SGS Studio, Inc. 2
11880 Shiloh Rd.
Dallas, TX 75228
C'est La Vie, Inc. 2
163 Cole St.
Dallas, TX 75207
Howard B. Wolf, Inc. 2
3809 Parry Ave.
Dallas, TX 75226

HRM Fashions, Inc.
10132 NW 80 Ave.
Hialeah, FL 33016

$3,449

Ashwood, Inc. 3
1501 E. 10th Ave.
Hialeah, FL 33013

Sunrise Sewing Co.
2630 Strozier St.
S. El Monte, CA 91733

$3,416

Georgiano
3801 Broadway Pl.
Los Angeles, CA 90037
Designs Limited, Inc.
417 E. 15th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Crystal 3

2501 Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90007

(1)

$3,127

  Ashley Sewn Products 3
95 Harold Street
Sylva, NC 28779

NBC Apparel
3675 E. Olympic Blvd.

$2,099

Teaze of CA
9701 Bell Ranch Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90023 Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670

The Slovin Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 198
Worcester, MA 01606

$1,876

Kym Company 3
325 Alabama Blvd.
Jackson, GA 30233

Nice Going Fashions
217 Center St.
New York, NY 10013

$1,545

Rich Rags of NY 3
1407 Broadway
New York, NY 10018
Sketch 3
148 W. 37th St.
New York, NY 10018

Uncommon Threads
2400 W 8 Lane #B
Hialeah, FL 33010

$1,265

2 Plus 2 3
2190 E. 11th Ave.
Hialeah, FL 33013
Jordana 3
7531 NW 70th St.
Medley, FL 33166
Brenda Goode 3
1016 E. 17th St.
Hialeah, FL 33010
International Uniforms 3
1075 E. 14th St.
Hialeah, FL 33010
Richland Apparel 2
16085 NW 52nd Ave.
Miami, FL 33014

Abba Fashion
555 8th Ave.
New York, NY 10018

$1,000

Eva Laurel 3
213 W. 35th St.
New York, NY 10001
Tara & Nicole 3
62 W. 36th St.
New York, NY 10018
Third Generation 3
1384 Broadway
New York, NY 10018

Trinity Knitworks
1721 Trinity
Los Angeles, CA 90015

In dispute

Classic Design 3
771 Towne Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90011
PM Knitting 3
5111 Hampton St.
Vernon, CA 90058
The Romar Group 3
21550 Oxnard St.
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Billabong 3
1945 Placentia Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Footnote:

1. Manufacturer contacted because of own violations.
2. Manufacturer agreed to begin monitoring programs, or has a monitoring in place.
3. First time manufacturer has been included on Enforcement Report.

* Manufacturers on the list that have agreed to monitor their contractors for future compliance are designated with an asterisk.

 



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