Is there a little bit of sweat between you and your Calvin’s? According to SweatShop Watch, if you’re wearing Levi’s or Mudd jeans, there very well could be. The grassroots organization has mounted a campaign in solidarity with garment workers of Manufacturas LaJat in the area known as Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico. Workers there who help in the production of Levi’s and Mudd Jeans (as well as others) have been struggling in the maquiladora against the factory where they work being shut down, low wages, and unhealthy and unsafe working conditions. When workers tried to organize, management was accused of firing workers, bribing workers, and even sexually harassing workers.

Most of the time when we go shopping or when we get dressed in the morning, we don’t think about how clothes got on the rack or in our closets. Recognizing that some Latinos are struggling so we can look stylish should give us pause at least, if not action.

SweatShop Watch