By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, June 22, 1991
The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A03
In ongoing raids on garment industry sweatshops, state Labor Commissioner Raymond Bramucci on Friday led journalists to two shops where undocumented Mexican aliens worked.
As in the 21 shops inspected since the raids began Monday, Lucy Fashion at 4002 Palisade Ave., Union City, and Tlaloc Fashion at 6029 Hudson St., West New York, were found to be in violation of state and federal child labor laws. They also did not keep proper work and wage records, authorities said.
Formal citations will be filed, pending further investigation, Bramucci said.
Many of the 34 people working in the two shops inspected Friday were undocumented aliens, one of them a 13-year-old boy who arrived from Mexico on Monday, Bramucci added.
“This is our own Third World,” he said. “What we are trying to do is correct an egregious industry. Shops like these have no place in New Jersey in 1991.”
Bramucci said the current New Jersey Apparel Registration Act, which expires June 30, will be replaced by a law now awaiting Governor Florio’s signature. The new law establishes the Apparel Industry Unit, which will investigate violations of state laws and exploitation of workers.
The law will allow increased fines of up to $500 per violation and seizure of the clothing and machinery in the shops that are cited for repeated offenses.
Along with imposing increased penalties, the Labor Department will start a training program at Bergen County technical and vocational schools for workers in these shops who want to learn better work and English skills, he said.
“Because these workers don’t know their rights,” Bramucci said, “they are exploitable.”
Valentin Contla, 26, who said he would be getting proper papers soon, said he had been working at Lucy Fashion for only about a week and he made 20 cents per blouse. He sews about 300 blouses per day.
Louis Miranda, a Union City Fire Department investigator, said Lucy Fashion also violated several city building codes: A second door in the converted garage was blocked; the 11 sewing machines were too close together, restricting freedom of movement in case of fire, and there was no smoke detector or fire extinguisher.
Keywords: UNION CITY; CLOTHING; INDUSTRY; EMPLOYMENT; LAW; VIOLATION
ID: 17347290 | Copyright © 1991, The Record (New Jersey)
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