They are routinely fired or punished for any signs of unionization. Beyond the outright suppression of unions, Verit investigates and documents the numerous attempts not only to prevent the formation of unions, but to quell workers' voices as they attempt to raise any grievances, collectively or otherwise. Employers regularly use threats of denied wages, physical abuse, or unemployment to coerce overtime work. Production quotas are often raised for those refusing overtime, and many are fired for refusal to work more than 48 hours a week. Seventeen-hour shifts are common in factories throughout the world, and many workers are denied even one day off per week.
Overtime pay is slim to none in global sweatshops.
Employers are infamous for forcing overtime by announcing more work at quitting time and locking the factory's doors frequently leaving young mothers with no childcare options. On Verit 's recommendation, some factories-in China, for example, have begun to redefine their production schedules, thereby reducing the need for excessive overtime. Blurred supply chains. The U.S. has lost more than 400,000 such jobs since 1973. With this trend in global production likely to continue, it is crucial that every link in the supply chain be transparent.