Calif. Labor Official to Speak at CFA Event
Jose Millan, under secretary for the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, will address the challenges facing the state’s apparel manufacturers at an upcoming luncheon organized by the California Fashion Association. The event will be held Dec. 15 at the California Market Center in Los Angeles.
Millan, whose agency coordinates the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) and other labor and employment programs, will discuss the reality of doing business following the enactment of Assembly Bill 633 in 2000 and leading up to the expiration of the World Trade Organization’s apparel and textile quotas in 2005. “There will be more pressure, more competition,” he said.
In addition, a panel including attorney Stan Levy from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP and auditor Cal Safety Compliance Corp. will discuss the efficacy of AB633. The law was drafted to create a “wage guarantee” for garment workers by ensuring that manufacturers, private-label retailers and contractors were responsible for paying workers the minimum wage and overtime.
Joe Rodriguez, executive director of the Los Angeles–based Garment Contractors Association of Southern California, said his group had opposed AB633. “It was a poison pill that discouraged work,” he said.
Separately, Millan said the DLSE will issue three new versions of the “Garment Exam” in two weeks. The tests are required of each applicant who wants to obtain a license to operate a factory as a contractor or manufacturer. Millan said the tests were revised in order to prevent applicants from memorizing answers and cheating on the exam.
For more information on the luncheon talk, send an e-mail to info@calfashion.org. —Khanh T.L. Tran
