American Apparel Employees Cited by Immigration Enforcement
American Apparel received notice from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that the employment eligibility of 200 of its workers could not be verified, according to a statement released by the publicly traded manufacturer.
In addition, the statement said ICE informed the company that a review of the government’s databases revealed that as many as 1,600 of the Los Angeles–based manufacturer/retailer’s employees do not appear to be authorized to work in the United States.
The findings are a result of a Jan. 3, 2008, inspection by the ICE to determine American Apparel’s compliance with Section 274A of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
According to a statement by American Apparel, unless the 1,800 employees (approximately one-third of its total manufacturing employees) in question are able to “resolve the discrepancies in their work records or present valid identification and employment-eligibility documents that are subsequently verified by ICE, such employees will not be able to continue their employment at the company.”
In the statement, American Apparel said it does not expect the authorization process and the potential loss of employees will have a “materially adverse impact on its financial results.” But the company said it is unable to assess what impact the loss of labor would have on its operations.
“Many of these employees, some of whom have worked at American Apparel for as long as a decade, have been responsible, hard-working employees who have made significant contributions to the company’s growth and success,” said Dov Charney, chief executive of American Apparel. “As a company that prides itself on being one of the last major apparel manufacturers still making clothing in the United States, at a ’sweatshop-free’ factory where we pay our garment workers some of the highest wages in the industry, it is the company’s hope—and my personal hope as an immigrant myself—that these employees are able to confirm their work authorization so that they may continue to work at American Apparel. The company remains very proud of its track record as an advocate for the comprehensive reform of the country’s immigration laws.” —Erin Barajas
