El Monte sweatshop raid film negatives, 1990s

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This image is a modified copy of the collections object. The National Museum of American History made digital adjustments to increase the visibility of the depicted content. For a more faithful representation of the collections object, see image AHB2019q174586.
State of California. Department of Industrial Relations. Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. El Monte, CA Sweatshop.
State of California. Department of Industrial Relations. Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. El Monte, CA Sweatshop.

Object Details

Description

These negatives illustrate the inhumane working and living conditions of people that worked in sweatshops

On August 2, 1995, police officers raided a fenced seven-unit apartment complex in El Monte, California. They arrested eight operators of a clandestine garment sweatshop and freed 72 workers who were being forced to sew garments in virtual captivity. Smuggled from Thailand into the United States, the laborers’ plight brought a national spotlight to domestic sweatshop production and resulted in increased enforcement by federal and state labor agencies. The publicity of the El Monte raid also put added pressure on the apparel industry to reform its labor and business practices domestically and internationally.

Location

Currently not on view

Credit Line

State of California. Department of Industrial Relations. Division of Labor Standards Enforcement

Date Made

1995

ID Number

1996.0292.43.5.3

catalog number

1996.0292.43.5.3

accession number

1996.0292

Object Name

negative

photograph

Physical Description

plastic; gelatin (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 3.5 cm x 15 cm; 1 3/8 in x 5 29/32 in

See more items in

Work and Industry: Manufacturing

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Metadata Usage

CC0

Link to Original Record

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b4-5f0b-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record ID

nmah_1930064