"Will Trump Tariffs Help or Hurt U.S. Garment Workers?", 25 April 2025

As garment workers in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lesotho and Vietnam brace themselves for some of the most expansive of President Donald Trump’s so-called “reciprocal” tariffs, currently on hold, their counterparts in the United States are feeling the pressure from the stiff levies that are already in place, including an extra 145 percent—perhaps 245 percent?—punitive tax on Chinese goods...

...If the trade war drags on—or worse, escalates—the American businesses and workers that the president claims to want to put “first” will be hit hard as the rising cost of necessary imports such as fabric, buttons, zippers, threads and machinery wipe out any advantage that increased orders from companies looking to avoid hefty tariff payments may afford. Already, the 10 percent “universal” tariff that will serve as a baseline while the 90-day pause is still in effect is beginning to add up.

“Many people may not know this, but garment workers typically have to bring their own tools to work, and most of these tools are made in other countries, so this will take more money out of garment workers’ pockets because our tools—trimmers, feet, sewing tweezers, bobbins—will become more expensive,” she said...

As is the case elsewhere in the world, it’s the worker at the supply chain’s lowest rung that ends up bearing the brunt...

She pointed out that while factories may gain more work, they may also lack the wherewithal to take it on. “...all the textiles we use to make clothes will also become more expensive,” she said, adding that the additional costs will end up hurting everyone, whether employer or employee. They could even lead to layoffs, which would have the opposite effect of what Trump said he wants...

Leaner paychecks aren’t the only concern for garment workers. As the prices of groceries spiral upward...the squeeze is going to come from both sides, creating more financial duress. Garment workers also tend to be of immigrant extraction, with many of them undocumented women from Latin America and Asia. The White House’s aggressive push to apprehend and deport as many people as it can has created a climate of fear and uncertainty over potential sweeps of their factory floors by Immigration and Customs Enforcement...

“We speak to our members; they have a lot of questions: what does this particular news or this executive order mean?” she said. “We’ve heard from multiple members who said we had a real increase in ICE activity in the south L.A. region, where a lot of our members are, where our factories are. And we’ve heard from members who said, ‘I didn’t go to work today. I’m scared to go out.’ That’s a real direct impact. Folks need to be able to live their lives.”...

“Workers are the backbone of the industry,” she said. “They’re the ones who can articulate what are the needs of the industry. And for us that that needs to be a focus in this conversation: What’s needed to keep good, dignified jobs present and growing for them?”...