Labor set hearing for 154 displaced workers of Michigan garment
Saipan Tribune, Micronesia
By Ferdie de la Torre
Reporter
The March 30 closure of longtime CNMI garment manufacturer Michigan Inc. will affect over a hundred alien workers, according to the Department of Labor.
Labor officials told Saipan Tribune yesterday that on March 27 or three days before Michigan’s scheduled shutdown, they will conduct transfer hearing or for any possible claims of the affected workers.
About 154 alien workers of different nationalities are set to appear at that hearing to be held at Labor’s conference room at 8am.
Tomorrow (Thursday) there will be a hearing for six pending Labor cases filed against Michigan, a Labor investigator said.
Sooho Jo, acting general manager of Michigan Inc., had already notified the employees and Labor about the March 30 closure.
Jo cited financial difficulties and deficit due to competition with the lower wages of Asian countries.
Michigan has been conducting its garment business in the CNMI for 20 years now. The factory manufactures Gap and Banana Republic brands of apparel.
The liberalization of trade rules has allowed Third World countries to export their garments to the U.S. since January 2005. As a result, many garment factories in the CNMI have shut down operations.
