1. Factories and can be dangerous places especially with large machines at work. Look at the pictures in the supporting article that show side-by-side workers in the United States in the early 1900s and workers in Indonesia and Bangladesh today. These are people who are half-a- world away and a century apart but they are living the same lives. Notice the last picture that depicts protests and labor movements in both countries. As the article explains, in 1911 a fire in Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York killed over 100 workers and recently a factory building in Bangladesh collapsed killing more than 1,000 workers. Both events spurred protests and reforms to improve wages and working conditions. This video ends with the narrator explaining that after speaking with labor activists and factory owners that the impact of the t-shirts is far reaching and complicated. Why do you think both groups agree that the worst possible outcome would be for the garment industry to leave Bangladesh all together?

 

2. Take a look at the cost breakdown of the t-shirt. Notice that the cost of shipping the t-shirts from Bangladesh via truck, trains, and trucks is only 10 cents. In the opening, the narrator describes the shipping container as the "unsung innovation that makes the global economy possible". Explain what he means by that statement.