Custom «Miriam Louie» Essay Paper Sample

In the book “sweatshop warriors: Immigrant Women Workers Take on the Global Factory” Miriam Louie discusses the struggle by Chinese women workers in factories. The book focuses on Hong Kong and compares the workers’ condition to other places in the west. The author then continues to show how the Chinese workers have migrated to America because of these unfavourable working conditions. Real life cases of the migrants are cited to cement the gravity of the circumstances of the workers. The book discusses Chinese immigrants who are exploited by American companies as cheap labour. Garment factories are on the spotlight among other industrial setups that are collectively referred to as sweatshops. The numbers of Chinese workers is compared with that of other workers of different origin. In addition, the book compares industries around the world to a global factory. A woman named Lisa, among others, is quoted giving her story and how she has struggled for her rights. Louie manages to depict the history of immigrant workers, their predicament, and the solutions the workers have developed for their problems

Louie then majors on New York City in the United States of America and give examples of workers who have tried to press for their rights. Moreover, the author shows how the immigrant workers overcome language barrier and racist policies in the quest for their rights. One factory owner is quoted saying that the workers did not have the capability to move against him, as they did not know English. Workers successfully form unions to facilitate them in demanding for fair treatment by the industry’s management.

Although the author convincingly articulates that the Chinese workers can win the battle against oppression by factory owners, she fails to point out to any effort that can help the Chinese workers gain their rights. The book is too critical of the employer but does not articulate any solution to the poor relationship between the immigrant workers and their employers. However, the cases in the book make a significant step towards exposing the tension between American industries and their immigrant Chinese workers.