There is a GOTV rally for John Liu today at 5p in Chatham Sq, Chinatown. Sources say that the NY Daily News article has stirred even more support for Liu from New Yorkers from all backgrounds who grew up with parents who worked in the sweatshops and factories. Reportedly, John Liu’s mother will also be at the event today.
Additionally, here is a statement from longtime labor leader May Chen, who used to head the garment workers union in NYC.
OPEN LETTER TO DAILY NEWS FROM MAY CHEN, LOCAL 23-25 WORKERS UNITED
“As a long-time union leader in the garment industry, I do not see any contradiction in the stories of John Liu and his family related to his ‘sweatshop’ work. The garment industry, especially in the non-union sector where his mother worked, is itself full of contradictions. Child labor and industrial homework (doing work at home) are illegal. The workers are mostly women, often mothers with small children, and they are paid by the number of pieces they can produce.
“How can a mother explain to authorities and the unknowing public how and why their child is with them in the factory? Even union factories were cited for child labor as workers explained they had no babysitter or child care services for their kids after school hours. What if the child is working at the machines or cutting threads off garments in the factory or just sewing scraps of cloth? This is certainly illegal (unless the child is over 16 and has working papers), even though mothers said it was to keep
them busy and prevent them from running around the factory. Most factory workers, if asked, would choose to remain silent or exhibit a lot of discomfort on this subject. The workers and the factories behind the glitzy fashion industry are largely invisible, and everyone is happy to keep it that way.
“What about taking work home? In New York State, industrial homework has been banned for decades. Workers are ‘below the radar’, or as academics would say, part of the underground or informal economy.
“What is indisputable is that John Liu comes from an immigrant working family that has lived and experienced life in the garment industry, which is still an important economic sector in New York. As painful and sensitive as it is, John Liu is not hiding from the contradictory realities of this past, or even the divergent but honest recollections of families and friends. I thank and congratulate him for exposing this to the mainstream press, even though your reporter didn’t seem to ‘get it’ and apparently had her own agenda in presenting the story.”
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