Sweatshops

Sweatshops are a negatively connoted term for any manufacturing working environment considered to be unacceptably difficult or dangerous. The U.S. Department of Labor defines the term as a factory that violates two or more labor laws. These operations typically have poor working conditions, hazardous materials, unfair wages, long work hours, a lack of benefits for the workers, and may involve the use of child labor.

The United States has stronger labor laws than most other countries, particularly those in the developing world. Yet it is not completely free of sweatshops as many slip under the radar of the U.S. Department of Labor. The most common products made with sweatshop labor include apparel, electronics, shoes, rugs, coffee, chocolate, toys, and sports goods.