mrszouave Posted August 31, 2002 Share Posted August 31, 2002 I saw on T.V. that Saipan is well known for those "slave labor shops" where people are paid pennies to make garments for major manufactures. Have you heard/seen anything about that????? ------------------ Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted September 2, 2002 Share Posted September 2, 2002 This is the garment making island for USA. Since Saipan is a Commonwealth of the U.S., the labels for clothes can officially read ... Made in the USA. However, the minimum wage isn't the same as on the mainland. Much of the trade industory ... electricians, plumbers, carpenters, etc. make $3.05 an hour. The majority of the garment workers are young Chinese women. They stop here and work for a few years and head for the U.S. They live in barracks with fences around the compounds. They used to be locked in at night, but after much coaxing the Feds arrived and called it illegal. The living conditions of the garment industry is much better than the last time we worked here (7 years ago). Many of the workers were living in shipping containers. Now, THAT'S a sweat box. The groceries arrived in trucks. The workers bought right off the trucks at an inflated price. The barracks are built far enough away from town so the workers can't walk to grocery stores. By the time they paid rent and bought their groceries, there wasn't anything left. They couldn't even buy a ticket to get back home. Many of the people here still live on a diet of rice and fish, like back home in Korea, China, Thiland, Vietnam, and the Philippines. They can be seen around sunset, walking the beaches with small throw-nets. They catch whatever they can and cook the fish with a bowl of rice. They cut greens, like grassy-looking leeks, and add them to the meal. Boonie peppers, which can pop your eyes out from the heat, make a nice spicy addition to the fish. Most of the workers get Sunday off. They work 6 days a week. Sometimes they have cleaning jobs or other part-time work in addition to their 10-12 hour jobs. Most will never own a car. ------------------ Quote Link to comment
mrszouave Posted September 3, 2002 Author Share Posted September 3, 2002 Wow Homey! That breaks my heart to hear! So sad to know it's true! People like them (if they are blessed with radios) could really be helped by the work you and the mission are doing....at least they're souls can be free. And they can learn there is hope. ------------------ Quote Link to comment
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