Port of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, US Territories

Saipan is the largest of the 14 islands in the chain north of Guam that are governed as a US Territory known as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). 90% of the Territory’s population of 50,000 lives on Saipan, which after becoming part of the USA in 1986, developed into a major global garment production center, attracting another 45,000 workers, mostly from China. Clothing for major brands, such as Gap, Anne Taylor, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Liz Claiborne and, J. Crew, were made in sweatshops that, while producing products that were “Made in the USA,” were done so with labor rates and conditions far below normal USA standards. Despite persistent lobbying by the garment industry in Washington, fighting to maintain the $1billion in annual production, media exposure and political pressure eventually had their effect. The national minimum wage came to Saipan in 2007, and now most of the industry is gone, as well as the Chinese workers.