I had the wonderful opportunity this morning of interviewing Eric Odier-Fink of The Justice Clothing Company. Eric graciously gave me a bit of his time to answer some questions about Justice Clothing, Sweatshops, Unions and Fair Trade.
Show Notes:
00:24 Why did you start The Justice Clothing Company?
- “It really started out of Frustration.”
- “The US is predominately sweatshop in it’s apperal production.”
- 1998- Received Catalogs from Union companies (King Louie clothing, Nemisis and Windjammers)
- “Is there Anywhere in the United States for me to buy your gear?”
- “These where companies that where absolutely clean.”
The idea for the Justice Clothing Company was born around 1996 when we met and, among other things, began shopping together. (from the website)
03:15 Working with Union Companies
- “We only work with Union Companies”
- Tried to work with Non-Union (ended well before they began selling their gear).
- Ben and Jerry’s as a Non-Union example
- Non-Union companies weren’t willing to meet their conditions
06:30 Talking about American Apparel
- Discussed working with American-Apparel (It didn’t work out, and it was clearly for the best)
- American-Apperal’s Ugly Union busting Article
- AA’s Sexist ads and Sexual Harrasment
- American Apparel makes clothes, Justice Clothing sells clothes (that union companies make).
11:00 The importance of Unions
- “Unions are the only thing responsible for prosperity in the United States.”
- “Unions bring together workers who, individually, don’t really have any power.”
- “The only power a worker has, is to stop the work that they do.”
- Eric tells the story of his grandfather being almost “worked to death.”
- Why Unions improve companies and the quality of products.
14:45 Justice Clothing becoming a Cooperative
- No longer “Employer, employees.”
- Expanding to others outside the business
- A few “not really for the radio” details about the Co-op.
18:15 Dealing with your overwhelming closet full of sweatshop clothing
- Don’t be overwhelmed
- Find places (like Justice Clothing) where you can shop Sweatshop-Free, and Buy a few things.
- Enjoy it and buy some more.
22:45 What’s your take on Thrift Stores
- Usually fronts for organizations that feed and cloth people
- It’s Recycling!
- It’s not contributing to the sweatshop industry
- The Balance is that people need to work and somethings will need to be bought new, That’s where Justice Clothing comes in.
26:00 Why pay more Money for fair trade clothing?
- Sustainable economies
- Why Not to Contribute to Walmart (articles 1, 2)
29:45 An appeal to people of Faith
- “Buying sweatshop stuff is against my religion”
- “You know your buying stuff that is moral”
* Want to Read some more about this? Eric Suggests:
one I will point out is a magazine-size booklet published by the Progressive Jewish Alliance called “No Schvitz”– it’s a great primer on the history and current situation with sweatshops, with a focus on Jewish involvement (on all sides).
One certainly cannot fault Eric Odier-Fink for his earnestness. He is striving to make a buck based on an ethical business model and that’s something admirable. However, his worldview is overly dichotomous. Nothing is ever black and white – not all unions are champions of their employees and not all employers are cynical abusers of labor.
To whit, the discussion of American Apparel and it’s “ugly union busting tactics.” Eric pushes the union line without stopping to consider that maybe the employees really did not want to pay union dues in an employment situation that was already comendable. What more would that hard earned $50 a week have brought them?
Eric points to the settlement between the NLRB and AA as proof that AA was guilty, despite the fact that there was no admission of guilt. This is all fine and good, but Eric really ought to have asked why, if after the settlement, when AA publicly stated that it would not interfere with any Union drive, and even called for a vote on the issue, did the Union then pack up and leave, without even holding the vote? What about allegations that the union employed dishonest tactics in trying to get employees to sign the cards – telling non-english speakers that AA boss Dov Charney wanted them to sign and the union’s admission that they may have neglected to mention union dues.
There’s also the thorny bad blood between Unions and Mexican laborers in California – Unions in California had always been in the forefront of the fight against liberalizing US immigration laws, advocating measures that were specifically anti-Latino. Is it any wonder the predominantly Latino work force at AA wanted nothing to do with the Union?
And then there is also the issue of UNITE’s own spotty record. Had Eric started his business in 1998, he could have purchased Union made apparel, from UNITE shops in NY that were nothing more than sweatshops whose owners bribed union employees to look the other way while workers were abused. Read this article from the Village Voice reproduced online here that outlines widespread corruption in the Union that tried to unionize the employees at AA. It is a very eye opening article – I urge you to read it and do more research on UNITE and it’s diversification into Banking and Real Estate and other businesses not remotely related to worker welfare.
Nothing is ever so black and white – but one thing Eric did undoubtedly get right is the notion that when employees are happy, it makes for better product, a better and more productive work environment and is simply good business. Guess what? American Apparel figured this out without the benefit of a Union!
Eric is also laboring under outdated information. The hostile work environment lawsuits are pretty much over. 2 were dismissed and one is “wallowing.” Dov Charney’s vociferous assertions of his innocence seem to have been borne out in court.
Finally there is the issue of the sexy ads. Allow me to remind you that none of the models, both male and female, are professionals. Some are short, some are heavier than the norm in advertising and none are airbrushed. The idea is that anyone can be sexy and that sexiness is something that otherwise ordinary (ie not stick thin amazons) women can achieve. So yes, AA does use provocative imagery in its advertising. Most people get it, some people don’t. We’ll allow our adoring fans and explosive growth speak for itself.
In conclusion, I guess I wish Eric the best of luck in his business venture. His success will be determined by his own hard work, care for his coworkers and the quallity of his product. That the work is also imbued with a strong sense of mission is even better. What will not aid in his success is unneccesarily disparaging others who share his zeal, enthusiasm and humanity.