[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 45 (Thursday, April 21, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   LABOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1994

  (Mr. TORRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, we are talking about crime today, and I want 
to raise the issue of a crime that is taking place here in this country 
today. We have American employers not only exploiting Americans but 
also undocumented immigrants and this undercuts legitimate businesses. 
This encourages undocumented immigration and depresses wages. Of the 
estimated 50,000 sewing machine contractors nationwide, over one-third 
operate without licenses, offer no health insurance, do not pay 
overtime, and pay their workers in cash. They also do not pay taxes.
  Mr. Speaker, in my county alone, Los Angeles County, employers last 
year did not pay $120 million in taxes using the tactics of using these 
kinds of workers. Over half of all the garments made in America are 
produced in whole or in part by factories that pay below the minimum 
wage, disregard Federal safety laws, and require workers to spend 60 
yours or more on their sewing machines. This is true in the garment 
industry, in the construction industry, and in farm labor. We must stop 
this crime. We must put teeth back into our labor enforcement laws that 
say ``Made in America means made under law.''

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