3 April 1997: Construction begins on Daewoosa garment factory compound in Tafuna

 8 February 1999: Group of 29 Vietnamese export workers via IMS (International Manpower System) arrived to work for Daewoosa. A month later, 35 more workers arrived.

 12 March 1999: After working for a month, the workers asked for due wages. They were informed that each would only receive pay of $100 each for the month and, as apprentices, no pay for their first three weeks of work. Workers protested by writing a letter all asking for the next two days off.

 27 March - 18 April 1999: New contracts drawn up between Vietnam’s Ministry of Trade, Daewoosa lawyer and IMS deputy director. Twenty signed. Thirty did not. These thirty workers were subsequently sent back to Vietnam in May - June.

 27 March 1999: Food quality deteriorated. Workers complained. Some just could not eat and started crying. Daewoosa stopped feeding the workers. After a full day without food. Vietnamese working outside of Daewoosa helped, and the women went out to beg for food & seek refuge at the a Christian Missionary Center. Daewoosa subsequently admitted to DOL that they withhold meals from employees as a form of punishment when workers complain about food.

 29 March 1999: Police was called in, detained and jailed 3 woman workers: Thu, Thuy, and Nga. Workers are now confined and not permitted to freely move in and out of the compound. They are now allowed 5-minute walk outside in group of 5 and one guard. After one group returned, another group was sent out.

 31 March 1999: Vu Thi Kim Dung decided to jump the fence and escaped. She went to a Christian missionary and asked for help.

 1 April 1999: The three jailed workers were deported, subsequently turned back to American Samoa by Western Samoa custom at Apia airport. They were placed in jail where they were assigned attorney Barry Rose as their lawyer. The lawyer intervened on their behalf. The workers were released and stayed at women shelter. Barry Rosen later represented many of the workers in their case against Daewoosa.

 May - June 1999: 30 workers were sent back to Vietnam without payment

 14 May 1999: Approximately 30 workers arrive from IMS

 29 June 1999: OSHA inspection of Daewoosa factory. The inspector cited 9 violations and assessed $10,150 in penalties.

 15 July 1999: Tour Company 12 brings 203 more workers from Vietnam. Over 250 workers are now living in barracks.

 19 July - Dec 31, 1999: Workers received no pay for work during this period

 27 September 1999: Twenty remaining from IMS Group 1 and Group 2 workers were called in to receive DOL-issued checks ($2274). Mr. Kil Soo Lee demanded the money from these check should be given to him. Mr Lee made clear that those who refuse would not receive work. Four returned DOL checks in return for work assignments. Sixteen refused. Despite abundance of work, no work was assigned to these 16 until December. On December 17, nine were returned to Vietnam after the company discovered that they were trying to get legal help. On December 19, seven were offered work assignment in return for $150 monthly deduction for ten months.

 19 December 1999: Lee called in the IMS group 7 and tell them that they can go back to work if they allow deduction of $150/month for 10 months. Lee told the employees that the amount in DOL check consists of the $1500 “immigration deposit” + $774 of overtime back pay. He promised not to deduct room & board for the time period in which they were idle. Six agreed to the terms. One worker, Nga, refused.

 28 January 2000: Jakor & New Star rented the facilities on a temporary basis from Daewoosa to manufacture their own textile products. Jakor & New Star paid remaining back wages and paid workers fairly during this period.

 8 June 2000: Workers are now once again under Daewoosa’s management. Operations resumed under full management of Kil-Soo Lee. Problems with pay, food as well harassment resumed.

 15 August 2000: Daewoosa attempted to deport 38 striking workers, who “are also causing conflicts within the compounds”

 4 September 2000: Payment paid for June and July. Lee withheld $400 in payment, saying that he owes them due to insufficient fund. Later in court, he stated that the deduction was for R&B.

 28 November 2000: Security guard was called in to intimidate workers result in a fight between workers and security guard. One worker lost an eye and another lost hearing from one ear during the incident. After this incident workers were too fearful to go back to work.

 7 December 2000: “During a meeting with OSHA & Wage & Hour investigators, the employer produced a paper bag of money and proceeded to spread stacks of bills across the front of his desk. The employer said he had $60,000 and that he was willing to use this money to ‘pay the workers’. The OSHA compliance officer has opined that this may have been left-handed attempt to bribe.” (DOL Report, Dec 14 2000)

 31 December 2000: Christa Lin, an attorney for the workers, arrested for trespassing by local police.

 5 January 2001: Workers ordered back to work. Six returned to the line. The rest was ordered to return to the line before they would get paid. Workers’s pay was between $49 and $389, averaging $150-190. In direct contempt of the High Court in American Samoa, workers were not permitted to leave the compound.
 
 

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