LS&Co. Unzipped

sam (not verified) - Jan 10 2013

my Levi's 501 from Haiti is the worst I ever owned, color fixation virtally non-existent, even cold water rinses out color even after 20 washing cycles.

Editor's note: Thanks, Sam, for your comment. I'm really sorry to hear about the problems you're having with your 501s®. We stand behind our product no matter where it's made. And if the issue is determined to be a manufacturer's defect -- which does happen -- we'd replace them. I'd recommend you either return them to the store where they were purchased or use the Help/Contact Us section of this website to reach out directly to our Consumer Relations team. Thank you.

Bob (not verified) - Jul 09 2012

It's fine for the Levi Strauss Company to promote commerce with countries like Haiti, but it seems like quality control has completely gotten away from them. The last pair I bought were made of a lighted grade of denim, they didn't fit--the actual shape of the trousers had changed--and they've been washed twice and already the stitching is coming out.

Editor's Note: Bob, thanks for your comment. I'm sorry about your experience. No matter where our product is made, it's backed by a warranty against manfacturer's defects, so if that's the issue, we want to make it right. You can return it to the place of purchase, or contact us directly using the Help/Contact Us section of this website. Again, thank you for reaching out. We need to hear from our consumers! 

ramesh seebarat (not verified) - Mar 23 2012
these jeans are no doubt the best in the world

Christina Kolb (not verified) - Aug 29 2011
While I'd be happy to pay a few bucks more for jeans so the laborers in the supply chain can afford all the things I can afford, it is telling that not only did L.S. not simply delete the above negative comments, but they also took the time to respond to them, and thoughtfully. While I recognize that L.S. could be doing more, I am glad that workers' rights is on their radar.

Eric (not verified) - Jun 14 2011

While I appreciate, from what little I know of the specifics, what the L.S. company is doing in Haiti (as well as its other charitable works) to improve conditions, skepticism is in order. It's telling that the company didn't immediately publicly announce that unless pay raises were instituted in the Haiti factory, the L.S. company would stop orders. (A contractor would rather make some money than none at all.) It's also telling that the company didn't criticize the decision itself to lower the minimum wage, nor the pressure applied by US mission staff to the government of Haiti. One must conclude that Levi Strauss is in agreement with the reduction in the minimum wage. The Editor wrote, "Negotiations between management and the union have resulted in wages at a level agreeable to the workers." If one is at all familiar with the power imbalance between poor people (or just plain labor) and the typical corporation, please forgive me if I find the claim "agreeable to the workers" to be open to doubt. It's impossible NOT to imagine a possible scenario where management threatened workers with something (partial or mass termination) unless they "agreed" to a contract. Unless the Levi Strauss company provides more details of this "agreement", the proper response is to doubt that any non-threatened agreement took place. But this is besides the point of whether any such agreement actually allows these Haitian workers to work with dignity and a chance for a decent life. The Editor wrote, "We want to be clear on this fact: Levi Strauss & Co. did not lobby the Haitian government against raising the minimum wage – nor did we ask anyone to do so on our behalf." Does the L.S. company contribute any money to any trade group that could conceivably have lobbied the Haitian government, its representatives or officials, to reduce the minimum wage? This is an open question. I've almost only ever bought Levis jeans in the past. Sadly, this history has now come to a close unless your company makes serious, verifiable changes. I'd be happy to pay a couple extra dollars for jeans that I know weren't made with a system that depended on abusing people. Here's how the L.S. company could resolve this situation: consult an independent NGO to provide a baseline "living wage" for a Haitian worker. This wage should by definition provide for an easily adequate diet, clothing, shelter, ability to afford medical care and education, and ability to support a family.

Editor's note: Thanks, Eric, for taking the time to outline your concerns and to do so in a civil way. When we posted our blog, we were reacting to The Nation's news article. Since then, we've had the opportunity to review the actual source documents the magazine cited and have found no facts to support the allegations against our company or our contract supplier. While we believe our track record on worker rights speaks for itself, we continue our work to ensure that those who make our product -- in Haiti and in other countries around the world -- are treated with dignity and respect. We regularly visit the factories, so that we understand the conditions in which the apparel workers produce our product. And we've challenged ourselves and the industry as a whole, including non-governmental organizations and stakeholders, to improve the lives of these workers beyond the factory walls as part of a new Terms of Engagement with our factory vendors. I encourage you to read more here. It's an ongoing process and we're very much engaged.

clarence newcomb (not verified) - Jun 13 2011
i don't see Levi's or any other major corporation DEMANDING that the minimum wage be raised?...any company could DEMAND that the workers employed by their foreign sub-contractors are compensated more fairly...THIS IS JUST CORPORATE GREED TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE LESS FORTUNATE....WE SHOULD ALL STOP BUYING ANY PRODUCTS SUB-CONTRACTED AND MADE IN HAITI UNTIL THIS MADNESS IS STOPPED....HURT THEM IN THEIR POCKETBOOKS...

Edgar (not verified) - Jun 10 2011
Why would you need politics to be immoral? You know people in Haiti are desperately poor and even starving, so you offer the smallest wages possible because you know how easy it is to exploit them. You hide behind supply and demand, but if people are only taking your jobs because otherwise they'll literally die, what's the real difference between this and sticking a gun to their head? Whoever is editing these comments, Mr. PR man, how much do you make an hour? If you truly give a damn about your Haitian workers, how about donating every cent you make above their minimum wage and see how it feels to actually be a Levis worker? As if you had the guts.

Will (not verified) - Jun 09 2011
Forget "advocating" for Haitian workers, Levi's has the ability to unilaterally raise their wages to the level the countries democratically elected government decided on, not using the U.S. and international aid to subsidize your companies bottom line.

Patrick (not verified) - Jun 09 2011

If Levi's has such a "strong history of supporting workers’ rights and economic development in Haiti", then why was Levis not publicly advocating for the increase in the minimum wage to $5 per day - a measure passed unanimously by the Haitian Parliament?

Editor's note: At the time, Levi Strauss & Co. sourced with one supplier in Haiti. That's still the case. And this particular supplier is the only apparel manufacturer in Haiti with a free trade union and a collective bargaining agreement. Negotiations between management and the union have resulted in wages at a level agreeable to the workers.

Matt (not verified) - Jun 09 2011

Whether or not Levi Strauss & Co. is actively involved in repressing Haitian workers, you're still paying them repressive wages to make your clothes. Is it somehow more or less immoral if you do or do not exert political influence on their repression? Levi Strauss can't come out looking good here because its only purpose is to turn a profit. Just be thankful that all your competitors and every other successful American business are doing exactly the same thing. When a corporation tries to market itself as if it really care about people, it looks foolish.

Editor's note: Thanks, Matt, for your comment. Our product is made in more than 400 factories located around the world. In each of these factories, we require that our contract vendors provide not only a safe environment for apparel workers, but also that they treat the workers with dignity and respect. The NPR story to which we've linked in this blog post provides some interesting context regarding the apparel industry in Haiti, and it notes that the average daily wage for an apparel worker in Haiti is higher than what most Haitians live on per day. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. That's why, as we noted in the blog post, in 2004, we supported management and workers in our Haitian supplier to establish the first independent union in the apparel sector in Haiti and why we continue to advocate for worker rights there.