 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||
Wins Garment Workers Achieve Justice
10/28 /02
After 15 months, the Wins workers won their battle with their garment
shop owners-thieves (see previous articles Justice
for Wins Workers and One Year is Long
Enough). The California State Department of Labor handed over $800,000
to Wins workers on Oct. 9 to compensate them for unpaid back wages. Two
hundred and forty workers received checks ranging from several hundred
dollars to one of more than $10,000. The average check amounted to about
$3,000.
The funds were distributed out the special state “lockbox” holding
income intended for the Wins factories. The "lockbox" fund was set
up when the Wins Industries was exposed for not paying their workers. Wins'
creditors had also laid claim to the funds. Governor Gray Davis signed a special
exemption bill that allowed the workers to access the "lockbox" fund
before the case was finally settled.
"This is only the beginning of our victory," said Mei Yan Fang, one
of the workers on state building steps. "Now we must push for prosecution
of the owners."
Both state and federal governments committed to pursuing the contractors and
seek penalties in the range of $300,000 for the owners, Anna Wong, Toha Quan
and Jenny Wong.
Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) staff persons, who have been organizing
around the workers' case, however, blasted the closed state labor process that
produced the final settlement. Philip Chui of CPA said that the workers were
never given enough input. Despite this, the workers may receive another check
from the final settlement.
Nikki Bas of Sweatshop Watch said that many of the garment workers who lost
their jobs when the factories declared bankruptcy ended up living off unemployment
or relying on their families for financial help.
