Chinese Maker of Ivanka Trump’s Shoes Looks for Cheaper Labor -<br />By KEITH BRADSHERJUNE 1, 2017<br />DONGGUAN, China — The Chinese factory workers who make shoes for Ivanka Trump and other designers gather at 7:40 every morning to sing songs.<br />A former drill sergeant in the Chinese military who sometimes leads his workers on parade-ground drills, Mr. Zhang<br />says work like making shoes will never return to the United States and is increasingly difficult in China as well.<br />China Labor Watch, the advocacy group investigating the factories, said it found<br />that employees had worked longer weeks than Chinese labor law allows, even excluding breaks.<br />Asked about the accusation from China Labor Watch, he said Huajian scheduled extra hours during busy times but paid workers according to the law.<br />Mr. Zhang said that his company kept working hours within legal limits, despite workers who want more overtime pay.<br />Mr. Zhang said that workers currently earn $525 to $580 per month, including overtime pay<br />but not including company-paid benefits like medical insurance and housing subsidies.
