Workers Boycott Forever 21
Around 150 supporters attended a Nov. 17 boycott rally staged by 19 garment workers who are suing juniors retailer Forever 21.
The demonstrators held the event in front of the retailer’s store in the Highland Park section of Los Angeles. They plan to demonstrate every Saturday at 3 p.m. through Christmas, said organizer Joann Lo of the Garment Worker Center.Sign in hand, Assemblywoman Judy Chu (49th District) also attended the rally and encouraged demonstrators in their quest for basic workers’ rights.
“She supports garment workers earning a livable wage, decent working conditions and health benefits,” said Chu’s field representative, Denise Ng.
According to attorney Julia Figueira-McDonough, representing the plaintiffs through the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the lawsuit, which was filed in September in state court, was moved to federal court as a result of papers filed in October by the defendants, Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang, the husband-and-wife team behind Forever 21. The case still may return to state court, she added.
As of press time, representatives of Forever 21 could not be reached for comment. —Nola Sarkisian-Miller
