Thread: American Apparel Investigated for Hiring Illegal Workers

American Apparel Investigated for Hiring Illegal Workers

FOXNEWS
Wednesday, July 01, 2009

A clothing company that prides itself on its made-in-America label is under investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Services for hiring illegal workers.

A federal investigation found that 1,600 of the 4,500 employees at American Apparel's Los Angeles factories got their jobs using "suspect and not valid" eligibility documentation, Reuters reported.

In addition, the status of another 200 workers could not be verified because of discrepancies, the January 2008 probe found.

American Apparel, in a recent federal filing, said it did not intentionally hire illegal aliens, Reuters reported.

"ICE's notification provided no indication that the company knowingly or intentionally hired unauthorized aliens and no criminal charges have been filed against the Company or any current employees," the filing said.

If the workers are unable to provide proof of eligibility, they will be forced to leave the company, American Apparel said in a statement.

The company's founder, a Canadian immigrant who attended private school in Connecticut and first ran his clothing company out of his Tufts University dorm room in Massachusetts, portrays himself, and his company, as a proponent of immigrant, gay and workers' rights.

Dov Charney told NPR in April 2006 that 75 percent of his workers are Mexican -- and the legal status of each and every one had been checked.

"Everyone who works here, we check their documents — but we don't over-document or under-document," he said in the interview. "We follow the law in a very precise manner."

He acknowledged during the interview that the apparel industry is "laced with falsely documented workers."

Charney has advocated for the legalization of foreign workers and has used the slogan, "Legalize LA" on T-shirts, in billboard ads and on banners that hang on the company's building.

One of its ads boasts that the company is committed to the highest in quality, while pioneering industry standards of social responsibility in the workforce.

American Apparel has touted its "sweatshop-free" operation and says it pays some of the highest wages in the industry.

"The company remains very proud of its track record as an advocate for the comprehensive reform of the country's immigration laws," Charney said in a statement.

On his personal Web site, Charney says that North America should have a common currency and "that there should be a border-less environment."

This is not the first time Charney has been embroiled in controversy. He recently agreed to a $5 million settlement with filmmaker Woody Allen over the use of Allen's image in a billboard.

American Apparel depicted Allen as a Hasidic Jew with a long beard, side curls and black hat. The billboard featured Yiddish text meaning the holy rabbi.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529761,00.html

Well, Plan B might be something like:
Cordon off Southern California

Over a third of their workers are illegal and yet, ICE claims no indication the company "knowingly or intentionally" hired unauthorized aliens and no criminal charges have been filed against the Company or any current employees," the filing said.

I see, so their human resources department got it wrong a third of the time, but no intent to knowingly or intentionally hire illegals was found. Interesting...so I guess we should also ignore the fact that Charney has advocated for the legalization of foreign workers and has used the slogan, "Legalize LA" on T-shirts, in billboard ads and on banners that hang on the company's building. That probably has nothing to do with the fact that a third of his work force is illegal! Ditto for those commercials American Apparel runs on the spanish stations here in LA, advertising positions in their downtown LA sweatshop.

If in fact this is all true, then there is no better argument for the MANDATORY implementation of E-Verify! If a company had no "intentions" of hiring illegal invaders, but did so a third of the time anyway, then something is not working and I would say this company should be obligated to accept help in the way of E-Verify.

<img src=http://www.americanapparel.net/contact/legalizela/images/Ad_Jointz_120104.jpg>

You can bet they do not use E-verify

<img src=http://image.blingee.com/images16/content/output/000/000/000/551/415816266_486575.gif>

Not only wet _-_-_-_ wet front and sides too

American Apparell needs to move to Mexico since he is so fond of IA's.Why the H is he here in the USA if he is using foreign labor ?

Greedy B***tard !!!

I didn't know their t-shirts came with sparkles Richard!

I left an area of California because I felt it was being overrun with immigrants of all nationalities. I regret it. We need to take this country back and right now is the perfect time. So many citizens are irritated with how we have been pushed out of our communities because our government refuses to support us. We are just as strong as they are but we have the law and civility on our side. We need to put our food down and use our laws to get them out not to let them wipe us out.

Why didn't they do this years ago? The owner back then admitted he was hiring illegal aliens on a TV program about immigration.