In the 80’s GUESS? became famous with its fashionable 3-zip Marilyn Jean. But by the 90’s the sexy brand had become known for the unsexy practice of sweatshops. After customers let GUESS know they wanted sexy not sweaty, GUESS seemed to clean up its act, until now.
Today GUESS is ignoring American sweatshops on wheels – the shameful working conditions of U.S. truck drivers who transport their merchandise to store shelves. GUESS’ U.S. trucking carrier, Toll Group, denies its drivers sanitary indoor bathrooms.
Rene Perez, one of the truck drivers responsible for transporting the latest GUESS merchandise, explains:
“The port-a-potties smell so bad that most of us just hold it in for hours at a time, on top of that we have no place to wash our hands if we do have to use the outhouses.”
Shortly after these workers united to protest the filthy, stench-ridden unsanitary outhouses that lacked running water: 26 were told their services were no longer needed.
Sweaty to Sexy
GUESS’ own mission statement speaks to the company’s uncompromising stand when it comes to “integrity,” “respect,” and “a principled leadership” – but the treatment of the Toll truck drivers reveals a world that GUESS can no longer ignore.
In the 90’s consumers shone a light on GUESS’ use of sweatshop labor. Today U.S. workers are engaging and educating shoppers to make it clear their values still hold true: It isn’t fashionable to abuse the American workers who transport your clothes from our shores to retail stores.