For Garment Workers, Making Any Minimum Wage Has Been a Struggle. A California Senate Bill Aims to Change That
State Senator Maria Elena Durazo is pushing to end unfair payment practices in clothing manufacturing
Across the United States, the movement for an increase in minimum wage is growing, but for Los Angeles’ 46,000-plus garment workers, getting paid
any minimum wage has been an ongoing struggle. Senate Bill 62, introduced by California State Senator Maria Elena Durazo in December, aims to change this.
One of the central goals of SB-62 is ending the piece rate practice, where, in lieu of an hourly wage, workers are paid per piece produced. “It actually is used as a way to further exploit those workers,” says Senator Durazo. “My first job in the labor movement was as an organizer in the garment industry, in the late ’70s, and what existed then still exists today.”