Just Garments Closes; Efforts as Sweatfree Producer Come to an End

The anti-sweatshop movement suffered another loss when the Just Garments factory was forced to closed in El Salvador in April 2007. For nearly three years, Just Garments had fought to establish itself as a unionized maquila producing for the sweatfree market in the North. Despite Herculean efforts by the union and the plant administration that came at great personal and professional cost, Just Garments was not able to overcome the opposition of local forces, the cut-throat nature of the apparel industry, the lack of development of the sweat-free market in the North, and its unique approach of essentially operating as a unionized cooperative.

Just Garments traces its roots to a maquila union organizing campaign at a Taiwanese firm, Tainan Enterprises, in El Salvador in 2001. The union, the Sindicato de Trabajadores de Industrias Textiles (STIT), won legal recognition in July 2001.

In April 2002, a week after the union asked for contract negotiations, Tainan abruptly shut down its Salvadoran operations, prompting a tri-national international grassroots campaign led in El Salvador by CEAL, in Taiwan by Focus on Globalization, and in the U.S. by USLEAP. STIT was also extensively supported by the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers Federation (ITGLWF), the AFL-CIO, and UNITE.

The workers and their support campaign won a remarkable victory later that year when Tainan agreed to finance the reestablishment of a factory in El Salvador, marking the first time that a company agreed to do so after closing a factory in the region to thwart a union effort. A new company was established, Just Garments, overseen by a two-person board , one of which was designated by Tainan and one by the union. Just Garments was established in April 2003 as the first apparel factory in El Salvador with a democratic union.

Gap began working with Just Garments to place orders but Tainan's unwillingness to provide needed technical assistance led to quality problems that Gap cited in not placing orders. In 2004, Gap instead provided Just Garments with a business development grant and, under terms of the agreement, exited the factory.

Just Garments then turned its attention to producing for the sweatfree market but was unable to secure sufficient orders, leading it to take up unprofitable subcontract work that deepened the company's debt. That Just Garments was able to stay open as long as it did is a tribute to the leadership and commitment of the union and Just Garment administrator, Gilberto Garcia.

USLEAP and other anti-sweatshop groups are now trying to help raise money to enable Just Garments to provide full severance to all workers (some of whom have complained about the Just Garments situation) and allow Just Garments to end with dignity.

A more complete summary of the Just Garments story is available on the USLEAP website or upon request.