5.4.1.1 - Human Trafficking: Enslaved Thai Garment Workers of El Monte
Thai garment workers await their fate after the raid on the El Monte sweatshop in 1995.
Image Credit: Rick Meyer, The Los Angeles Times [from page 4 of the story pdf]
Grade: 6-12Subject: Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies, English Language Arts
Number of Activities: 3
Overview:
Eighty Thai women and men were enslaved for years in a former apartment building in El Monte, California. Even after the discovery of the complex in 1995, they and their supporters had to fight for their freedom, immigration status, and damages from those responsible for their plight and exploitation in this horrific garment sweatshop. The bravery of the workers and creative legal and legislative advocacy led to a major victory for the workers and new laws to protect workers against sweatshops.
 
Learning Objectives:
Students will:
 
Materials:
  1. “Freeing Ourselves From Prison Sweatshops: Thai Garment Workers Speak Out” Essay
  2. El Monte Sweatshop Article
  3. El Monte Sweatshop Legacy Blog Post
  4. El Monte Sweatshop Readings Worksheet
  5. Garment Industry Pyramid Structure Worksheet
  6. “Migration – Push & Pull Factors”
 
Discussion Questions:
 
Vocabulary1
 

1All definitions are adopted from the Oxford English Dictionary unless stated otherwise.
2Definitation is adopted from Merriam-Webster Dictionary unless stated otherwise.
 
Activity 1: Factors of Immigration
Students activate prior knowledge on migration learn about what factors motivates people to immigrate.
  1. Ask students to answer each of the following questions with their shoulder partner:
    1. Why might someone move from their home country to go live somewhere new, where they may not have ever been before or know anyone else there?
    2. Do you think you would ever move to a new country to start a new life there? What do you think would motivate you to do that (or not do that)?
    3. If you were going to move to another country, what are some issues you would need to consider before doing so?
  2. Select a couple students to share their answer for each question with the class. For Question #3, please be sure to highlight learning a new language, documentation to live and work in the country, finding a job/school, finding housing, cost of moving, and leaving behind family, friends, possessions as things to consider if they are not mentioned by students in their answers.
  3. Pass out the reading entitled, “Migration – Push & Pull Factors” (or access at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z3p4b82/revision/)
    1. Instruct students to complete the reading, underlining anything that stands out to them.
    2. You may choose to have students reflect on the reading individually or with their shoulder partner to aide with comprehension.
  4. Conduct a classroom discussion on the following questions:
    1. What is the difference between a push factor and a pull factor?
    2. Based on the reasons given for why someone might migrate to another country, when do you think migration is forced and when is it voluntary? Explain your answer.
    3. Looking at the push and pull factors listed in the handout, do you think some particular reasons for migrating that are more acceptable than others? Explain your answer.
    4. Migrating to a new country is difficult for many reasons, including restrictions that different countries have for accepting new immigrants. Do you think it’s fair for foreign countries to make it hard for people to migrate? Why or why not?
  5. Ask students to think back to Question #3 from Section A about the issues a migrant would need to consider when moving to a new country. Give students five minutes to do a quick-write reflecting on what they have learned and the difficulties immigrants may face, not only in migrating but in starting a new life in a new country.
 
“The sewing room of the El Monte Sweatshop.
Image Credit: National Museum of American History” [link]
Activity 2: El Monte Sweatshop
Students read about the El Monte sweatshop case and complete an activity in which they summarize the case and explain the case’s impact.
  1. Divide students into groups of three, and distribute the El Monte Sweatshop Readings Worksheet to each student. Each student in the group should read one of the sources, choosing between the following:
    1. “Freeing Ourselves From Prison Sweatshops: Thai Garment Workers Speak Out” Essay (https://asianamericanedu.org/freeing-ourselves-from-prison-sweatshops-thai-garment-workers-speak-out.pdf)
    2. The El Monte Sweatshop Article (https://americanhistory.si.edu/sweatshops/el-monte)
    3. El Monte Sweatshop Legacy Blog Post (https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/el-monte-sweatshop-raid )
    (If students do not have computer access, print and distribute the provided copies of each).
  2. After students are done reading, each student should discuss their reading with their partners. Then, students should complete the questions in the El Monte Sweatshop Readings Worksheet.
  3. Have students demonstrate their learning by completing one the following activities:
    1. Create a flyer celebrating the win in the El Monte case. The flyer should summarize the case and highlight its outcome and impact on workers.
    2. Write an op-ed about the El Monte case, highlighting the roles of the various groups involved and the case’s impact.
 
Activity 3: Modern-Day Labor Exploitation
Students learn about the garment industry’s pyramid structure and are introduced to their final assignment.
  1. Have students read and complete the Garment Industry Pyramid Structure Worksheet.
  2. Facilitate a brief class discussion on the garment industry pyramid structure.
  3. Assign the following culminating assignment for the lesson:
    Write an essay about a current or recent case of labor exploitation. Conduct research on the example you chose, and include the following in your essay:
    1. Summary: What happened or is happening in the example you selected?
    2. Impact:
      • Who are the workers involved? What makes them vulnerable to exploitative working conditions?
      • Was anyone else impacted? If yes, who and how?
    3. Responsibility:
      • In your modern-day example, who is responsible? Consider the power they have.
        In the El Monte case, the companies and contractors were found responsible.)
      • How and/or why is labor exploitation possible in this situation?
        (Revisit and think about the garment industry pyramid structure reading for reference.)
    4. Solution & Accountability:
      • How can labor exploitation be stopped and prevented from happening again?
      • How can those responsible for the exploitation be held accountable?
      • How does your proposed solution and accountability method address and take the workers’ needs and experiences into account?
 
Resources:
El Monte, National Museum of American History. https://americanhistory.si.edu/sweatshops/el-monte. Web. Accessed 19 Jan. 2021.
Liebold, Peter. 25 Years Later: The Legacy of the El Monte Sweatshop Raid, National Museum of American History. 31 July 2020. https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/el-monte-sweatshop-raid
“Migration – Push and Pull Factors”, BBC Bitesize. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z3p4b82/revision/1. Web. Accessed 19 Jan. 2021.
Su, Julie. Freeing Ourselves From Prison Sweatshops: Thai Garment Workers Speak Out. The Asian American Education Project. https://asianamericanedu.org/freeing-ourselves-from-prison-sweatshops-thai-garment-workers-speak-out.pdf. Web.