ABSTRACT
Both the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and the United States Labor Department estimate that there were fewer than 200 garment factory sweatshops in New York City, most of which were at that time concentrated in Chinatown. The extent of the importance and control of trucking firms in the sweatshop industry is graphically demonstrated by the fact that most sweatshops are actually financed and set up by the trucking companies. Many of the new sweatshop operators can only exist if represented by one of the several established trucking companies. In Chinatown and along Manhattan’s West Side in the 20s, the Gambino crime family has ensured labor domination and supplemented its control of sweatshops through the Greater Blouse, Skirt and Undergarment Association, located at 225 West 34th Street. The actual level of violence in the industry is low and, partly for this reason, organized crime domination and influence has escaped serious public scrutiny.
