Ya Khom Tra Bhi Ho (pill packet), 1990s

Ya Khom Tra Bhi Ho (pill packet), 1990s

<< >>
Usage conditions apply
Downloads
Description
This packet of pills is an example of goods sold by the owners of the El Monte sweatshop. The highly priced products kept the workers in debt to the "owners" of the "business."
On August 2, 1995, police officers raided a fenced seven-unit apartment complex in El Monte, California. They arrested eight operators of a clandestine garment sweatshop and freed 72 workers who were being forced to sew garments in virtual captivity. Smuggled from Thailand into the United States, the laborers’ plight brought a national spotlight to domestic sweatshop production and resulted in increased enforcement by federal and state labor agencies. The publicity of the El Monte raid also put added pressure on the apparel industry to reform its labor and business practices domestically and internationally.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
Packet
date made
Late 20th Century
1990s
place made
Thailand
Associated Place
United States: California, Los Angeles
United States: California, Los Angeles
Measurements
overall: 3 1/8 in x 3 1/2 in; 7.9375 cm x 8.89 cm
ID Number
1997.0268.22
accession number
1997.0268
catalog number
1997.0268.22
Credit Line
U.S. Department of Justice. Immigration and Naturalization Service
See more items in
Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
El Monte
Work
Sweatshops
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.   

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.

Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.