The garment industry is a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid is the retailer who sells the clothing item to the consumer. Below the retailer is the manufacturer or jobber ,who sells the clothing line to the retailer and subcontracts the work to the contractor. At the bottom of the pyramid are the workers who work directly for the contractor. Some of them are chained to their situation as undocumented workers.
Most workers are afraid of reporting the abuses which occur in the factories.
Leading the fight for justice is a group of volunteer organizers, working class immigrants who are involved in developing our organization. We must first gain their trust. Since some American unions are notorious for corrupt activities, immigrants are understandably skeptical. The next step is to educate the workers about their labor rights including the minimum wage and overtime pay. Finally, and maybe most importantly, we need to educate the workers on the industry structure, from the retailer to the lowest skilled garment worker.