The largest apparel union in the U.S., the Union of Needletrade, Industrial and Textile Employees, has accused Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., the nation's largest shirtmaker, of undercutting workers' rights by closing its factory in Guatemala -- the only unionized plant among more than 200 export-oriented apparel plants in the country -- reports The New York Times (February 28, 1999). A company official said the company had closed its Guatemala City plant because a large customer, Mercantile Stores, had turned to another firm to make its shirts. In 1997, after a six-year struggle, the 500 employees at the factory obtained a union contract, which improved their wages and the quality of the water at the plant. Guatemala has more than 80,000 workers in maquiladoras, factories in special low-tariff zones that export almost all their output.