Women, Community and Equality: Three garment workers speak out

from East Wind Magazine Vol. 2 No. 1 (1983)

Subheadings were added to the original publication to make this more readable on the web.

by Shiree Teng

|t was a hot and humid morning in late June when I first met Mrs. Ka, Alice Tse, and Wing Fong Chin, all of whom are active garment workers in New York's Chinatown. They were amongst the many speakers who would address the rally that day called by their union–Local 23-25 of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (I LGWU).

There are 28,000 members in Local 23-25 making it one of the largest locals within the entire ILGWU. There are about 20,000 Chinese members, 85% of them women. The rally was being held because the owners of the 500 factories in Chinatown had voted down the renewal of the union contract which provided many basic rights and benefits for the garment workers. The very same union contract had already been signed covering 120,000 garment workers in the Eastern states area, leaving workers in Chinatown without benefits such as medical coverage, minimum wage, overtime pay, vacation and holidays, etc. And most importantly, leaving them without their dignity as workers and protection against unfair labor practices with which non-union workers everywhere are so familiar.

Alice Tse
As the 18,000 Chinese garment workers continued their steady stream coming into Columbus Park in the heart of Chinatown, they overflowed onto all the side streets, Mrs. Ka handed me a piece of scribble to translate. "The Chinatown contractors' attempt to break our union is like a grasshopper trying to stop a car in its tracks. They are daydreaming in broad daylight, and acting like a blind bat trying to knock down a tree." With these simple words and subtle analogies, I was given a quick introduction to the trade union sentiments of the thousands of women workers. The Chinese garment contractors had declared war on the union and on their workers. The workers responded by thunderous applause to Mrs. Ka's statements.

Another brilliant chapter in the American labor movement had been written. This time the heroines are Chinese women! Alice Tse followed Mrs. Ka at the podium. Being a sewing woman herself for the past six years in Chinatown and the elected Shop Chairlady in many of the shops where she has worked, Alice was more direct and to the point. "We cannot accept any treatment that is inferior. Chinese workers are people too! We should receive equal treatment as all the other workers. This is the true eternal spirit of being Chinese! If we cooperate and stand together behind our union, we will win! Let's celebrate our coming victory! Let's celebrate our historic show of unity demonstrated today! "

Being the translator for these fiery speeches was not an easy task. I was very moved and inspired by these working women. It reaffirmed my beliefs that women have always played a vital and important role in the history of the working class – not only in the daily struggles, but also in the larger society by improving the lives of all working people. The obstacles confronting women today are many–at work, at home, and in society in general. For Third World and Asian women, these obstacles are further compounded by thousands of years of feudal ideas and traditions.

Wing Fong Chin

These two topics, the role of workers and unions, and the fight for women's equality brought me to conduct three personal interviews with these women. Their individual stories and backgrounds may differ, yet they share aspirations, strength, and hope that should only serve to guide us in the future.

I asked Wing Fong Chin, the Chairperson of the Executive Board of Local 23-25 about how Chinese garment workers became unionized, and what were some of the differences before the union and after. Wing Fong has been residing in New York since 1950. " I n 1955, there were a total of 8-10 garment factories in Chinatown. There was no union back then. Soon thereafter, the union learned about women sewing in Chinatown and sent people down to do organizing. The bosses really disapproved and disliked the idea of workers joining the union. Whenever union people came down to the shops, they would send all the garments into the basement and send us home for the day. At first we didn't know what was going on.

"After two to three months, we found out about the union. In 1957, many of us started to join. At the time, the older ladies did not like the idea either. They would say things like, 'Oh, the union is only here to take our money. We shouldn't join.' But they did not understand all the benefits the union would provide for us in return. The more progressive minded workers, including myself, would ask, why not join the union? I translated for the union lo-fans about al I the rights and benefits to the workers in the shop. We were young then, in our20's, and we'd all join the union except for one or two of us. Most of us worked nine or ten hours a day back then including Saturdays and sometimes Sundays. After we joined the union, the hours were considerably cut down and the piece rates went up. The union contract gave us many improvements. Ever since, anyone new into the factories would automatically sign up. I don't remember seeing picket Iines then. It just became a natural practice to join the union.

"Today, some workers are still wary of the union. I would tell them about the old days when there wasn't any union benefits. The boss used to take all our holiday money. Now we have maternity benefits, vacations .... the union has really helped to improve things for Chinese workers."

Alice in responding to the question about what are the vital issues facing Chinese workers today, said, "l think the current problems facing Chinese women workers are basically two. One is the overall worsening of the economic situation and the rate of inflation. So in the garment industry, this translates into the slow season that we are in right now. The unemployment rate is quite high. Workers' incomes are constantly on the decrease.

"The second problem I see is with the children. The mothers who have to work long hours worry about their children's safety and what they are learning everyday. This is a real problem for women who don't have a lot of time to spend with their children."

Shui Mak. Ka

Mrs. Ka immigrated from China ten years ago. She is 50 years old and used to be a gynecologist, obstetrician, and medical doctor in China. Since coming to the U.S., she has worked in restaurants and garment factories. Being the Shop Representative in her factory, Mrs. Ka helped to lead a recent struggle to win back $40,000 in back wages owed to the 50 workers in her shop.

In responding to the same question, Mrs. Ka said, "For new immigrants, and long time ones like myself, the first and foremost problem is with the language. This results in extreme difficulty in finding jobs. Secondly, the problem is adjusting to the new environment and culture. Because of these problems, the majority of Chinese women who come here go to work in the garment factories."

"Do you think Chinese garment workers are oppressed?" I asked her.

"Definitely! The recent struggle of our Local to win the three year contract was a good example. A lot of the everyday exploitation became very clear. The employers didn't want to give us overtime pay, make us work long hours, and pay us whatever piece rates they wanted to. Some of the workers who hang up garments, and the pressers have to work until 10 or 11 at night. This is exploitation, Chinese style."

In this profit-motivated society, the employers will always try to squeeze the maximum amount of labor out of the workers. It's only when the workers are effectively organized will they be able to ensure that their rights are not trampled upon.

The two militant rallies that were held at Columbus Park this past summer have left a deep and permanent impression in the minds of the garment workers. It was like an awakening roar of a long-asleep tiger. Organizers arose from each and every factory–they organized the workers to meet at a specific place and time to march to the park together. They stood by each other and being union members, held their heads up high. Once they arrived at the park, they were greeted by fellow garment workers from the Bronx and Brooklyn . . . immigrant women just like themselves, Black workers, women from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic . . . all came to show their support and solidarity with their working class sisters. They all stood under one common banner of a multi-national union.

As the union contingent of garment workers proceeded to march down the heart of Chinatown, the true meaning of trade union militancy and class solidarity was everywhere in the air.

During this very intense period to settle the contract dispute, many of the Chinese contractors boasted, "We are all Chinese and should be able to settle this in-house. There is no need to go to the white man's union." They used these nationalistic phrases to cloud over their real intentions–Chinese exploiting Chinese. This is a common practice.

A recent trend has been developing in New York Chinatown where restaurant workers are organizing "independent unions," or Chinese-only unions. I asked Alice what she thought of this idea.

"For me as a Chinese person, I don't think it's exactly right. We are now living in the U.S., we need to come into contact with people of different nationalities and back grounds. Unions are the organizations of workers, no matter what nationality. The barriers that exist between the ethnic groups would never be broken down if everybody organized into their own national group. For the Chinese who are only organizing themselves, they need to learn that eventually, they have to break out of the narrow thinking and try to come into contact with workers of other nationalities. I think the whole idea is rather infantile!"

Mrs. Ka responded by saying, "l don't think it's the right thing to do. U.S. is like the United Nations with different peoples and colors. It's wrong to divide the workers along national lines. Workers are like the five fingers of the fist. If you took one of the fingers away, the fist wouldn't be strong. I guess on the surface and in theory, a Chinese-only union is all right. But in reality, where would the strength come from? Where would the benefits come from?"

Being women, mothers, having to work and bearing most of the day-to-day responsibilities of the household have hindered many women's ability to take part fully in the political realm of the community and affairs of the union. What are some of these concrete problems? How are active workers I ike A I ice and Mrs. Ka dealing with it?

"According to the old prophecies, a proper woman isn't supposed to leave the front door of her house by more than three steps. Her feet would be bound so that she really couldn't. For hundreds of years, the man was the sole money-maker and reinforced many of the feudal ideas. But today, women are stepping outside of the home and making a living. The situation is beginning to change. The main problem still, is that women have always seen themselves as housewives in the main. They tend not to be very career minded or motivated. Outside of the kitchen and the home their interests are not as developed. i think there should be more women's groups organized for women to really liberate our thinking.

"I think today's men also need to wake up to the reality. They should understand that the thousand years of women tolerating everything that men did, and accepted them, don't mean it is right. For us women, it's not liberation for liberation's sake. It's a matter of the times."

Mrs. Ka stated, "In order for women not to be taken advantage of in this society, we need to learn the political system here. We need to understand the laws that govern this society, and understand the reasons why the inequality between men and women exist. I think equality means the ability of women to participate in: all the affairs of the community and in society. But to do so, they really need to break away from the bondage of the home. For Chinese mothers, they come home, cook, clean, and wait for their husbands. To take part in any activities, they must rearrange their home life in order to allow for it."

Husbands and Barriers

"How does your husband feel about your activism?" I asked Wing Fong. She replied, "Chinese wives are basically sensible. They take care of family business, their husbands, kids . . . The ones with the family troubles are usually the wild ones. They stay out all night playing mah-jong. I have my business and my husband has his own activities. If the couple don't like it, then they should just leave each other. I think the attitudes are more open these days. All those old ways of thinking, how much are they worth anyway? If men and women continue to hold onto those ideas, then they might well give up living!" "To tell you the truth, my husband doesn't like what I'm doing," said Alice. "His thinking is quite conservative and traditional. He is a waiter in a Chinese restaurant and he sees my job as superior to his. He doesn't like that, and feels threatened. I think it's because he has a lot of self-pride, and at the same time, feels sorry for himself. I try to tolerate the situation for the sake of the kids. Being the wife, I try to leave enough time to take care of the house and not take work related problems home with me. It's not very easy!"

Many barriers continue to exist within our national movement today, standing in the way for more unity. Being an immigrant from Hong Kong myself, and having spent half of my life here, I have felt these contradictions. The American-born tend to look down upon the immigrant parents as too conservative, feudal, lo-saw, ignorant. . . The immigrants tend to think of the ABC's as wild, uncultured, hollow, and not "real" Chinese. These attitudes and misunderstandings have only served to further isolate us from each other.

Experiences with racism, alienation, and oppression are the common bond that run through our history as Chinese in America. But how can we begin to build bridges amongst ourselves? Are American-born women "more" liberated?

"I think the American-born women are not as conservative in their thinking as compared to the women raised in the old school of thought," Alice said. "By never attending that old school of thought is a kind of liberation in itself. The cultural habits of the American-born are different from that of the immigrants. But people can change and adapt. There really shouldn't be such a big gap between the two. Immigrants should try to learn English in order to communicate. The American-born should try to learn some of the old school of thought since some of the traditional teachings are not all without basis, like: respect, trust, loyalty, manners, righteousness, uprightness, and shame. These teachings are valid, up to a degree. For example, I think some Chinese American women are too Western-minded when it comes to marriage and divorce. There isn't the patience and tolerance to go through changes. For immigrants, divorce is rare. Women brought up here are more impetuous."

Wing Fong has a daughter in college. She said, "To my daughter, whatever you say as being Chinese, they think it's silly. They tell you this is America, and things are different here. You can't force them to believe in anything. They have a mind of their own."

Women Hold Up Half the Sky! In the spring time, when frozen rivers begin to melt, we see the rebirth of a million living things. Oppressed women all over the world, in the loudest voice cry out for FREEDOM .... Let us forever overcome the shackles of this people-eating world.

Shiree Teng works in the ILGWU research department. She is also a member of the Chinese Progressive Association.