How much money do the workers in sweatshops get paid?

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Salary of Sweatshop Workers:

One would think Sweatshops were in Third World countries, but they are also in the backyards of the U.S. and Canada. U.S. Firms and their subcontractors are to blame for many of the Sweatshops especially in the garment industry. What this does is take away jobs from the U.S. and Canada. Example: If you are in the garment industry it is cheaper to have the clothes made in places like China among other countries for extremely poor wages and miserable working conditions. The Firms charge the U.S. or Canadian consumer high prices and make billions of dollars off the the mistreatment of sweatshop workers.
Sweatshops are characterized as places of employment that have low pay, poor working conditions and long hours and often times abusive bosses. Sweatshops are in most countries, but you only hear about a very few. Some of the countries are:

• Mexico - $3 per day in U.S. Funds!
• Bangladesh $0.13 per hour in U.S. Funds
• China - $0.44 per hour in U.S. Funds
• Costa Rica - $2.38 per hour in U.S. Funds
• Dominican Republic - $1.62 per hour in U.S. Funds
• El Salvador - $1.38 per hour in U.S. Funds
• Haiti - $0.49 per hour in U.S. Funds
• Honduras - $1.31 per hour in U.S. Funds
• Indonesia - $0.34 per hour in U.S. Funds
• Nicaragua - $0.76 per hour in U.S. Funds
• Vietnam - $0.26 per hour in U.S. Funds

The economic way of thinking views sweatshops in which both workers and employers gains when they enter into a labor contract no matter how low the wages may seem to external observers. Of course this is not true and it's good for the Firms of the products, but never good for the employee. In most of the sweatshop countries they live on less than $1.00 - $2.00 per day. If this were the case of sweatshop workers getting good pay then hoards of Mexicans wouldn't be trying to cross deserts (often dying in the process) to get across the U.S. Border to try and make a better life for themselves and their families. There have been many documentaries on this very problem on TV. Fortunately, not all economists support sweatshops.


Countries with Sweatshop environments that allegedly make U.S. Brand Names:

• Bangladesh (2004) Mary Kate & Ashley .18 p/hr.
• Burma (2004) NBA .14 p/hr.
• China (2004) NFL/NBA/MLB .165 p/hr.
• China (1997) Nike 1.75 p/hr.
• Costa Rica (1998) Rawlings Baseball 1.15 p/hr.
• El Salvador (2001) Gap .55 p/hr.
• Haiti (1996) Disney .28 p/hr.
• Honduras (2003) P. Diddy .75 p/hr.
• Honduras (1996) Levis & Nike 5.40 p/day
• Honduras (1996) Wal-Mart/Kathie Lee .31 p/hr.
• Indonesia (2002) Nike 2.46/p day
• Nicaragua (2000) Kohl's Dept. Stores 3.00 p/day
• Vietnam (2004) NBA .15 p/hr.
• Vietnam (2000 Nike 564 p/year
• Vietnam (1997) Nike 1.60 p/day

Note: Nike's employees in Indonesia receive free health care and meals in addition to their wages. Some other countries also give additional benefits, but very few. Often the information retained for statistics is false and given by the people involved that stand to make the most money for their product.
The apparel industry has drawn attention from the press because they use Third World countries to make their products. They have low wages by U.S. standards.
It is up to the U.S. or Canadian consumer to decide if they want to keep sweatshops going in their own countries or other countries (many are Third World Countries) or to refuse by not buying their products.

First answer by Marcy. Last edit by Marcy. Contributor trust: 8866 [recommend contributorrecommended]. Question popularity: 4 [recommend question].