国际英语新闻：American Apparel plans to layoff "unauthorized" employees

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Los Angeles-based American Apparel is planning to layoff about 1,500 employees who are "unauthorized" to work in the United States, it was reported on Thursday.

    The report coincided with American Apparel's announcement on Thursday that the company recorded a 20-percent year-over-year drop in retail store sales for August.

    The company said the employees would be fired due to their immigration status, according to the Los Angeles Times.

    A federal inspection of American Apparel's employment records indicated that about 1,600 employees weren't authorized to work in the U.S., the paper said.

    As of Aug. 31, American Apparel employed about 10,000 people and operated more than 275 retail stores in 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria and China.

    About 200 other employees were also found to have discrepancies in their employment records, according to the paper.

    "There are approximately 1,500 workers facing termination during the month of September," Peter Schey, an attorney for American Apparel, told the paper.

    Schey said the company was "very disappointed and disheartened" at having to terminate a large number of workers who have been "reliable contributors" to the company's success.

    The affected workers are all based at the company's manufacturing facility in downtown Los Angeles, according to the paper.

    In a letter to employees, quoted by the paper, company founder and Chief Executive Officer Dov Charney said he was "deeply saddened at having to let the workers go.

    "Many of you have been with me for so many years and I just cry when I think that so many people will be leaving the company," Charney wrote. "It is my belief that immigrants bring prosperity to any economy."

    Charney also said workers who are able to get their immigration papers in order would be given priority treatment for positions with the company.

    Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), declined to discuss American Apparel's case, saying the federal agency was not at liberty to discuss fines levied in worksite enforcement cases until "the fine amount becomes final."

    Kice told the paper that ICE had not issued any direct order to terminate employees, but that if a company "continues to employ individuals not authorized to work, they understand there may be potential legal consequences."