Podcast Summary: "Made in USA" – Articles of Interest (Jan 16, 2026)

Host: Avery Trufelman
Guest Contributor: Sarah Gonzalez
Key Participants: Aisha Barenblatt (Remake), Maria (Garment Worker), Lynn Boo Rady (Oklahoma State University)

Overall Theme & Purpose

This episode explores the realities behind the "Made in USA" label in the garment industry. Using Sarah Gonzalez’s investigative reporting, listeners are guided through her quest to find an ethical T-shirt, unraveling assumptions about domestic manufacturing, worker conditions, pay practices, and the complex ethics of clothing consumption in America.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Search for Ethical Clothing

• Sarah Gonzalez’s Motivation:

  • Inspired by motherhood and concerns for her child's wellbeing and the environment, Sarah embarks on a journey to find a high-quality, ethically produced T-shirt.
  • “I really want to buy at least like good T shirts so that her little face and her little mouth that she sleeps on me is like on something that I can feel good about her, like, laying on.” (Sarah Gonzalez, 00:18)

• Meeting Aisha Barenblatt (Remake):

  • Reveals that even ethical fashion influencers own very few clothes.
  • “You come see my closet and there's, you know, six classic pieces. I do a little rental, a little vintage.” (Aisha Barenblatt, 01:48)
  • The point: “You cannot buy your way out of this problem.... Buying clothes is not gonna solve the problem.” (Sarah Gonzalez, 02:30)

2. Myth-Busting "Made in USA"

• Assumptions about US Manufacturing:

  • Both Sarah and Avery admit to assuming "Made in USA" means better conditions for workers and the environment.
  • “Made in the USA is not the bastion of virtue that Sarah imagined it was and that I imagined it was, honestly. But I had no idea what the garment industry in the United States actually looks like.” (Co-host, 03:23)

• The Reality:

  • 76% of US garment factories have fewer than 10 workers – often hidden, small, unassuming operations.
  • “...It's like a house on a street with all the other houses. But technically, it's a garment factory. But it just. You couldn't tell...” (Sarah Gonzalez, 03:36)
  • There are now only 82,000 garment manufacturing jobs in the U.S., down from 900,000 in 1990. (22:23)

3. Life as a Garment Worker

Maria’s Story

• Background:

  • Immigrant from Puebla, Mexico, trimming threads in LA garment factories for almost 30 years. (06:54–11:04)

• Trimmer's Work:

  • “Maria’s job is to cut off all the leftover thread. That's what a trimmer does all day, crouched over, just snip, snip, snip, snip, snipping loose threads.” (Sarah Gonzalez, 08:09)
  • Workload can reach 700–800 pieces a day. (Sarah Gonzalez, 12:32)

• Compensation – The Piece Rate System:

  • Paid by piece, not hour; $0.03–0.05/piece in 1994, now $0.15–0.16/piece. (14:07)
  • Fast, simple garments (e.g., sports bras) are more lucrative; complex ones with buttons pay less.
  • “If you want to earn money, you have to do it fast.” (Maria, 13:13)
  • Sometimes work is taken home; entire families help meet quotas. (15:19)

Wage Theft & Legal Evasion

• Despite California laws forbidding piece-rate pay, many factories use it and evade detection.
  • “...the California Chamber of Commerce labeled it a job killer. People said...factories and brands will just make clothes one state over where they can still pay workers by the piece....” (Sarah Gonzalez, 33:45)
  • Factories frequently change names/owners to dodge liability—“It's all illegal. It is the very definition of a sweatshop. But you have to catch them at it.” (Lynn Boo Rady, 33:36)

Pacheco’s Account:

• Sewer for US Military Garments:
  • Even when paid hourly, pressure persists to maximize speed.
  • “You give everything you can physically... and mentally, because you have to do really good work in some factories at least. And if you don't work fast, Pacheco says sometimes they can just take the work away from you.” (Sarah Gonzalez, 34:57)
  • Expresses regret over investing life in the industry with little to show for it. (35:36)

4. Piece Rate, Pay, and Factory Math

• Breakdown of Pay:

  • For a $62 sports bra made in the US: Each of the 13 workers involved might get less than $0.30 per step.
  • “40 cents is probably too high…. theoretically, workers were paid $3.90 to make this bra…which was selling for $62.” (Sarah Gonzalez and Lynn Boo Rady, 19:52–20:13)
  • “A $20 t-shirt, a $120 t-shirt, the workers likely got 20 cents to work on it. Either way...” (Aisha Barenblatt, 26:41; echoed by Sarah Gonzalez, 38:15 and 38:48)

• Shattering Illusions of American Factory Work:

  • “I think we have the image of a well-run factory... it's just not that. I've seen worse factories in America than I have seen overseas.” (Lynn Boo Rady, 21:10)

5. Why US Garment Factories Still Exist

• Personalized, Small Batches:

  • Quick prototyping; niche/emergency/local needs (disability apparel); US military contracts (must be 100% "Made in USA" for security reasons). (24:20–25:30)
  • “The US military doesn't ever want to have to rely on a particular country in case we ever, like, go to war with that country or something. This is the part of the garment industry that the US government does prop up.” (Sarah Gonzalez, 25:30)

• Technical Expertise Has Migrated Abroad:

  • The US has outsourced skilled labor (pattern-making, specialty items)—e.g., “Look in your closet and see where most of your bras come from. Sri Lanka, probably. It's hard. You know, it's a technical garment.” (Aisha Barenblatt, 24:03)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Aisha Barenblatt on Fast Fashion’s Intractability:

  • “I know too much to want to have very much from this industry.” (02:25)

• On the Perils of Piece Rate Work:

  • “When you stow, you have one foot on a pedal, and so your weight tends to be on your other leg. Doing that for eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, perhaps, or more, that can cause issues.” (Lynn Boo Rady, 18:17)

• Maria’s Pragmatism and Humor:

  • “Como una americano gringo, no. She's like, come on, you think they'd be crouched over all day. She can actually barely contain herself at the thought.” (Sarah Gonzalez relaying Maria, 36:57–37:50)

• On the Emotional Impact of Reporting:

  • “I will never look at a shirt or bra or pair of pants and not see, like, oh, 15 people probably worked on that.... knowledge ruins everything.” (Sarah Gonzalez, 37:53, 38:48)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|--------------| | 00:00–02:30 | Sarah’s motivation & meeting Aisha Barenblatt | | 03:02–04:45 | Challenge to “Made in USA” myth, hidden factories | | 06:46–16:28 | Maria’s story: day-to-day of a US garment worker | | 16:28–21:28 | Lynn Boo Rady on pay calculation & factory conditions | | 22:23–24:20 | Shrinking US garment industry, outsourcing expertise | | 24:20–25:30 | Why some garment work remains in the US (military, niche needs) | | 26:18–26:41 | Price does not correlate with worker pay (luxury or not) | | 30:02–36:56 | Wage theft, legal loopholes, worker advocacy, and toll on lives | | 37:53–38:48 | Sarah’s changed perception: human labor in every garment |

Takeaways for Listeners

• The Ethical Consumer Dilemma:
  There’s no easy way to buy your way out of the fashion industry’s problems. Even “Made in USA” does not guarantee fair or humane conditions.

• Piece-Work Legacy:
  Piece-rate pay, often illegal and exploitative, still underpins much of US garment work, and efforts to change this bump up against structural incentives to offshore production further.

• Value of Labor:
  A $62 bra may net just $3.90 for all workers combined; the “ethical” or “expensive” brand doesn’t trickle down to the sewing floor.

• Systemic Issues:
  Workplace violations are endemic, and a significant portion of the industry remains hidden, unregulated, or in legal gray zones.

• Indelible Human Impact:
  Behind every garment, there are dozens of workers—often women, often immigrants, rarely secure or adequately compensated.

Final Reflection

Sarah Gonzalez:
“It took 15 people to make a bra...20 people to make a T-shirt...Of course, there’s like, you know, the Do Gooder factories. But for the most part, it doesn’t matter how expensive the clothes is. ...the workers who worked on both of those shirts likely got 20 cents to work on it. Either way, you know, it’s like knowledge ruins everything.” (38:15–38:48)

For detailed suggestions on ethical clothing, visit articlesofinterest.substack.com.

(Note: Ads, musical credits, and promotional spots were omitted as per instruction.)