Sewing Hope

How One Factory Challenges the Apparel Industry’s Sweatshops

Sarah Adler-Milstein, John M. Kline

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Hardback

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English

University of California Press
03 October 2017

Development studies; Sociology: work & labour; Labour economics; Office & workplace

Sewing Hope offers the first account of a bold challenge to apparel-industry sweatshops. The Alta Gracia factory in the Dominican Republic is the anti-sweatshop. It boasts a living wage three times the legal minimum, high health and safety standards, and a legitimate union—all verified by an independent monitor. It is the only apparel factory in the global south to meet these criteria.

The Alta Gracia business model represents an alternative to the industry’s usual race-to-the-bottom model with its inherent poverty wages and unsafe factory conditions. Workers’ stories reveal how adding US$0.90 to a sweatshirt’s production price can change lives: from getting a life-saving operation to a reunited family; from purchasing children's school uniforms to taking night classes; from obtaining first-ever bank loans to installing running water. Sewing Hope invites readers into the apparel industry’s sweatshops and the Alta Gracia factory to learn how the anti-sweatshop started, how it overcame challenges, and how the impact of its business model could transform the global industry.

By: Sarah Adler-Milstein, John M. Kline
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 544g
ISBN: 9780520292901
ISBN 10: 0520292901
Pages: 248
Publication Date: 03 October 2017
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface 1. The Difference between Heaven and Earth Introducing Alta Gracia 2. From Factory Favorite to Fighter Human Cost of the “Race to the Bottom” 3. Risky Proposition, Unlikely Alliance Founding a New Factory 4. Ideals into Action Building an Anti-Sweatshop Model 5. Escaping Scripted Roles Unexpected Benefits of a New Approach 6. Stories of Transformation Diverse Impacts of a Living Wage 7. Surviving on Our Own Adjusting the Business Model 8. Replication or Revolution Alta Gracia in Context Afterword: Taking Action Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index About the Authors

Sarah Adler-Milstein is a worker-rights advocate and has served as the Field Director for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC). John M. Kline is Professor of International Business Diplomacy at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. He is the author of four books, including his textbook Ethics for International Business.

Reviews for Sewing Hope: How One Factory Challenges the Apparel Industry’s Sweatshops

"“Full of data with academic rigor arguing for a living wage as well as rich stories of the impact in human lives of such a wage. We highly recommend the book.” * The Human Thread * ""This is a must read for anyone concerned with escalating inequality globally and the potential of labor organizing in tandem with more humane corporate management for transforming communities."" * New York Journal of Books *"