Sweatshops vs. factories

I just can't stop shaking my head over this problem:

• People criticize factory work. It's cold, dehumanizing, back-breaking, horrible work that nobody would ever do unless they were stupid, crazy, or desperate.
• People decry the loss in this country of manufacturing jobs, or sometimes more specifically union manufacturing jobs.

When those two sets of people are from opposite ends of the political spectrum, I can understand that. I don't necessarily agree with it, though. Many of the former are ignorant of first-hand experience with manufacturing jobs. They think of it as their experience in a McDonalds, times 10. Many of the latter are populists, either conservative (leave out the union reference and you have Pat Buchanan) or Progessive (include the union reference and you have Ted Kennedy).

What I don't understand is people who are in both camps at once. I guess those jobs are great as long as neither you nor your friends, relatives, or anyone else up to distant acquaintances actually have to do them. I bring this up because my wife told me that she stood listening to a woman complaining that clothing isn't made anymore in this country, it's all China, dirka-dirka-dirka, until she finally said, "Actually, I am in the apparel trade here in the US." The woman's response? One word, delivered with a sneer:

Sweatshop.

What do you say to people like this?

[UPDATE]: Funny, we must have been on the same wavelength because Kathleen recounted it in the same day's post:

It's common for people to describe production work as degrading and mind numbing but that's a value judgment. I know plenty of people who enjoy it, self included. Maybe more people would be attracted to manufacturing if it weren't so maligned.