Does the Athletic Apparel Industry pay a living wage?
This study group will sample subcontract factory workers, review factory payroll records, and collect data that will measure and validate various living wage formula. They will also propose action research experiments in alternative wage systems. Is a living wage too subjective to measure? Is the legal minimum wage enough to cover living costs? Finally, is there a reliable and valid method to measure living wage? There is a need to begin testing and calculating the Living Wage Formulae (See one Methodology for Calculating Living Wage proposed by Sweatshop Watch). Mihaly and Massey (1997) in an Amos Tuck business school study of wages in Indonesia and Vietnam have suggested a different calculation. This study group would review the available calculation methods, propose a methodology to test various methods using wage data collected on a sample of third world factories. The group will propose a maximum possible set of factories and a reliable and valid sample of works’ wage reports to s
