SB 62 - CA

[toastykitten]

Now that the recall is over, Newsom has a bunch of bills sitting on his desk that are waiting to be signed. One of those is SB 62. This one is really important, and I'd be really grateful if anyone reading this could send off a message to Newsom telling him to sign it. 

SB 62 addresses garment manufacturing in CA. Currently, the way clothes are created, and the way it's been done as long as there's been a clothing industry, is that a lot of low-income, immigrant women get exploited for their labor. They work long hours in unsafe environments, and rarely allowed breaks. They are also not paid by the hour, but per piece, allowing manufacturers to skirt minimum wage laws. SB 62 aims to address this by eliminating piecework, and more importantly, holding brands liable for wage theft within their supply chains. The brands get away with feigned ignorance of sweatshop conditions by saying "oh it was the subcontractor that did it and we don't know who those are", but that's bullshit, because they also set the terms of the contract, including how much they're willing to pay for x amount of product. 

Although there is opposition from the industry (of course), there are also a number of California brands that support this legislation. I'm really happy that this made it this far, but it would have a lot of ripple effects within the industry if it actually becomes law.