THE PRODUCTION OF LATINA GARMENT WORKERS AND MANAGERS: HOW GENDER, RACE, CLASS AND IMMIGRATION STATUS IMPACT WORKA WOMEN-CENTERED MICRO ANALYSIS

This is a study of the experiences of Latina garment workers and their mostly white managers. It is a women-centered analysis of the social practices at work and at home. As such, the research departs from the structural accounts of the garment industry which portray Latina garment workers as objects who are part of an economic process that tend to erase their lived experiences. Using field site observations at a denim contracting shop and in-depth interviews with Latina garment workers and their managers, I link their personal account of work to how gender, ethnicity, and immigration status impact work. In Los Angeles, Latinas continue to make-up the majority of garment workers. Through their voices we learn the reasons why they entered in the garment industry, why they stay in this exploitative field, and some of the ways they resist their exploitation. Their voices challenge the old myths that garment work takes little skill to master. These women recount their everyday experiences and reveal complex women who struggle to survive a difficult industry