Transportatoin costs 46 cents a day. Poor drinking water, poor ventilation, bathroom visits are limited to one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Screaming at and beating workers to increase productivity. Talking back results in being locked in isolation. Workers are not allowed sick days, even with a doctors permission.
Sick days result in a fine of three days wages.
Workers trying to organize are fired, beaten, and even threatened with death. Much of the clothing purchased in this country is made under such sweatshop conditions, and this applies to more expensive designer labels as well as to cheap thrift store labels. It's also Liz Claiborne, Perry Ellis, Tommy Hilfiger, and the lot. It is clearly inconsistent with Catholic teaching on social justice for Catholics to abett this sort of exploitation. The right to organize, the right to a family living wage, the right to privacy regarding contraceptive choices, and other rights typically violated in sweathops are all rights that Catholic social teaching recognizes and calls us to respect.