Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and other brands were buying clothes from a 'sweatshop' that paid just $1.58 an hour — in California

• The Department of Labor randomly investigated 50 clothing companies in Southern California.
• It found that more than 80% were breaking one or more provisions of federal labor law.
• One garment maker was paying workers just $1.58 an hour.

A conscientious consumer may think that buying clothes made in America automatically means wages are better than those in the developing world.

But that is not necessarily true: When the Department of Labor randomly examined the practices of dozens of clothing makers based in the United States, it found that the vast majority were breaking the law — and that workers making clothes for Nordstrom and other brands were in some cases earning less than $2 an hour.