Chirp after chirp, who knows the hard work?
Profiles of employees and bosses in the garment industry
Preface
Everyone says that the United States is a shopping paradise. Many Chinese people have a set of "shopping tips". Especially when buying clothes, they choose from here and there, look at styles, choose fabrics, compare prices, and also look at the place of production. It is best to buy clothes from Europe, the United States, and the United States. Japan and other countries. Did you know that department stores have “Made in USA” labels on them and the beautiful clothes we buy home are most carefully sewn by Chinese women, stitch by stitch? The fact that it's "Made by Chinese Women" is pretty good!
Has anyone ever wondered under what circumstances these women participated in this industry? Do they also carry the spirit of "Mulan joins the army" and persevere to support their families in a foreign land? When working, have you ever felt the bitterness of "not hearing the sound of machines, but only hearing women sighing"?
Story 1 The Lord’s grace is enough for me
Pain all over
Mrs. Ding (pseudonym) was originally engaged in the garment manufacturing industry. She immigrated to the United States with her husband and children fifteen years ago. To support her family, she naturally "returned to her old job" and became a garment factory employee.
Mrs. Ding currently works in a clothing factory with good business in Queens, New York. Most employees are paid on a piece-by-piece basis, and the unit price of clothes varies. The steps are as simple as a sports pullover, which costs about 38 cents each, the more complicated ones, which cost about 60 cents, and the more difficult ones, such as trousers, which cost about one dollar. Remuneration is calculated on a piece-rate basis, and it is entirely up to you to earn more or less. People who move quickly and have good skills will certainly have an advantage. On the contrary, novices, people with poor skills and slow movements can only hope that "tomorrow will be better"!
Mrs. Ding works from 9:30 in the morning to about 7 in the evening, seven days a week, with no holidays, no benefits or medical insurance, and only one day off during the Lunar New Year. However, sometimes I have to work during the New Year holidays in order to catch up on work. For such a busy job, the average monthly salary is about US$1,200.
For the sake of family income, Mrs. Ding usually arrives at the factory early in the morning and stays at her "post" quickly and skillfully, working hard, rarely having the chance to get up and move around. The so-called "post" is just a hard iron chair. Sitting there all day long is very hard. Over time, it causes many occupational diseases - neck pain, back pain, tennis elbow, etc.; long-term eye fatigue and rapid vision loss.
In order to relieve body aches, Mrs. Ding occasionally goes for massages and massages during off-duty hours to relax her muscles and bones; however, working year-round, making time for massages is simply a luxury.
Filing taxes is beneficial
More than five years ago, Mrs. Ding was baptized into the Lord. Ask her, "As a Christian, is it a bonus or does it cause trouble?" She humbly said that in the work environment, there are often overt and covert conflicts among employees, and she cannot help but feel grievances and sometimes struggle with her faith.
In addition, there are many people who evade taxes and apply for subsidies falsely. At first, Mrs. Ding was very angry about these phenomena and felt distressed that she and her husband had to pay taxes when they declared their salaries honestly. Living in the United States, a country with tens of millions of taxes, taxes seem to be a hidden expense. However, because he abides by the law and pays taxes, Mr. Ding suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was hospitalized for surgery last year. He is now discharged from the hospital. Although he is not able to work yet, the Social Security Administration pays monthly Disability Benefit is a small supplement to the Ding family.
When Mr. Ding was ill and hospitalized, Mrs. Ding had to run around, go to work, and take care of her husband and the children at home. Fortunately, the brothers and sisters in the church came to help. With God’s healing, Mr. Ding’s surgery went smoothly and he is currently undergoing speech rehabilitation.
Looking back on those days, Mrs. Ding truly understood the true meaning of "The Lord's grace is sufficient for me." Through all this, Mrs. Ding learned to do her part at work, try not to think about unfair treatment and intrigues among employees, and keep a broad mind.
Story 2 Sadness washes away God’s blessings
more than inferior
Mother Li (pseudonym) was originally the "doctor's wife" that everyone envied in Taiwan. In 1987, Dr. Li passed away due to illness. Mother Li and her four children flew to New York to live with her parents-in-law. After settling down in New York, she was introduced to work in a clothing factory in Long Island City, where she remains today. This company mainly produces tailor-made high-end clothing, and its customers are middle-aged women.
Mother Li is responsible for sewing buttons, sewing edges and other hand-sewn peripheral work. Working hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and because the work projects are too fragmented and cannot be calculated on a piece basis, they are paid on an hourly basis, which is slightly higher than the current minimum wage of $7.15 an hour stipulated by New York State. When I first joined the garment factory, I received full salary plus medical benefits, which was a pretty good income.
Medical insurance benefits are the main reason why Mrs. Li goes to work. The garment factory joined the garment union in the early years, and employees' salaries and benefits are in accordance with regulations. They have all the things they should have. They have holidays on holidays and two anniversaries, and the company has set up transportation vehicles to pick up and drop off employees.
In recent years, the economy has been sluggish and orders have decreased. Now the garment factory has withdrawn from the union. In order to save money, employees on the production line only work four days, and employee benefits have also deteriorated. However, basic insurance is still maintained. Compared with other industries, this is considered Very good.
Take things as they come
Mother Li has been working in a garment factory for many years, which requires her eyesight. Now her eyesight is not as good as before. Sitting in chairs of inappropriate height and softness for long periods of time often results in back pain. In the past, Mother Li would ask her children to help with back rubs and DIY massages. A few years ago, the four children worked together to buy an electric massage chair for her. From then on, Mother Li never asked anyone for massages. This massage chair set the foundation for the children of the Li family. "contribution"!
In addition to going to work, Mrs. Li sometimes meets up with friends to eat in a small restaurant and play table tennis on Thursday nights; she attends the Evergreen Fellowship on Friday mornings and has church groups in the evenings. Her life is arranged just right. Mother Li is introverted and taciturn, with an easy-going personality and is easy to get along with. She asked her, "Has anyone in the garment factory protested about the low pay?" She said that her colleagues have all worked in the garment factory for many years and are of an older age group. Many of them will graduate in a few years. You can retire and receive a pension. No one wants to be a "bad guy" in the eyes of the boss, so just take it as it comes.
In the early days, she was the only one doing buttonwork and miscellaneous work, so it was not easy to ask for leave. In recent years, several colleagues with the same job type have joined, and she can ask for leave as long as someone is available to cover the shift.
Of course, there is no money to be made if you don’t go to work. However, Li’s mother said that she is still in good health and making money is not her life goal. The important thing is to arrange her time well and spend time with her children, work, leisure, and church service. Synchronization. Now that the children are married and have careers, each has his or her own future in different fields, the sadness of the past is no longer there, but only God’s full blessings.
Story 3 It’s hard work to set up the factory but the boss takes care of it
Honest management
Kelly (pseudonym), who lives in New Jersey, formed a company with her friends fifteen years ago to specialize in buttons, lace, zippers and other products. It can be regarded as a business related to "nepotism" in the garment industry. When I started my business, I had a consensus with my partners that we should operate everything decently to avoid being fined for violating regulations and "walking around with nothing to eat"!
There are currently eleven employees in the company. Sometimes when goods come in and need processing, she calls in contractors from outside. Some OEMs are paid by the piece, and sometimes they are paid by the hour. In principle, it depends on how many "actions" are required to complete a product.
If the processing steps are complicated and you can't do much in an hour, you will be paid according to the minimum wage; if the processing steps are simple and you can complete more pieces in an hour if you work quickly, you will be paid based on the number of pieces. The quality of the OEMs we hire varies. Some are fast and good, but others ask for too much and haggle over prices. Some even think they are being paid hourly and are slow to produce a few finished products in an hour.
The boss is embarrassed
In recent years, garment manufacturers have mostly purchased goods from China. The cost of goods processed in the United States has increased, profits have declined, and business has become increasingly difficult. Although buttons and accessories are only peripheral products of ready-made clothing, if they are unsalable, Kelly will be indirectly affected. When the sales of the clothes are not good, the buyers ask for returns, and the garment merchants are responsible for the losses. Of course, the garment merchants will not bear the losses alone, but will pass them on to the accessories merchants to bear some burden. When faced with this situation, Kelly had no choice but to swallow it with helplessness and heartache. This loss.
A few years ago, a temporary agent who took the goods home for processing was hit and killed by an out-of-control pickup truck in New York City, which became a sensation. Because she was a temporary contractor, she did not receive worker's compensation. Feeling sad, Kelly sent a sum of money to the bereaved family. When the bereaved family was interviewed by a newspaper, she mentioned her boss's love. How did she know that this would attract the attention of the IRS? , Labor Bureau, Fire Department and other government agencies’ investigations. Fortunately, we adhered to the principle of following the rules when we formed our own company, and the government agencies did not find any violations. However, I felt that I was ready to be inspected at any time throughout the year, which was really painful.
Along the way for fifteen years, Kelly lamented that her boss was so difficult. Outsiders thought the boss made money quickly, but they didn’t realize how many cells had died under the pressure of business! Over the years, I have not enjoyed any glory or wealth. I have only earned a living, which is more than enough. Furthermore, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?!” (Matthew 16:26)
postscript
As I write this, I can't help but look at the clothes in the closet from the "heart". Those "trophies" I got from "shopping" are the result of the sweat, hard work and hard work of so many compatriots. Not only do I Cherish the clothes, and feel deep love and gratitude to the employees and bosses of the garment factory!
Journalist profile
Wu Xinhui, a young international student who came to the United States after graduating from junior high school, is now the mother of three children. She loves reading, traveling, music and other hobbies, and now lives in New Jersey.