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CLR March IndexLabor Alerts: a service of Campaign for Labor RightsCampaign for Labor Rights' Monthly Index, posted March 20, 2001 Table of Contents:
MOBILIZED CAMPAIGNS
Chentex (Nicaragua/Kohl's):Chentex is a factory in the Las Mercedes Free Trade Zone outside of Managua, Nicaragua. It is owned by a Taiwanese business consortium named Nien Hsing. The factory employs 1,800 workers who produce 25, 000 pairs of jeans each day. These workers, mostly young single moms, make on average 20 cents per pair of jeans they sew. The jeans get sold in Kohl's stores in the U.S. for 30 dollars. In April and May of last year, the factory's management fired 700 workers for who were affiliated with a union that was working to get an 8 cents wage increase. Since that time, solidarity activists in the U.S., Taiwan, and internationally have mobilized in support of the Chentex workers right to organize. There have been over 400 actions at Kohl's stores, and about 1,000 letters have been written to Kohl's, Nien Hsing, and officials in Nicaragua. The factory's management continues to waffle on signing an agreement with the workers. The workers claim that this struggle has been instrumental in encouraging union organizing drives in other factories in the Las Mercedes FTZ. For more information contact the Campaign for Labor Rights, clr@clrlabor.org, 202-232-5002.
PCUN (Oregon/NORPAC):On Feb. 13 PCUN (a farmworker's union in Oregon) won a small, but crucial victory. On that day, PCUN President Ramon Ramirez was told by Bon Appetite CEO Fedele Bauccio that Bon Appetite will not use NORPAC products (frozen fruits and vegetables) in their dinning hall service. Bon Appetite is a food service provider contracted to run the dining halls at small colleges across the country. Mr. Bauccio said he had not been aware that any Bon Appetite dining hall was purchasing or using any NORPAC products. He asked President Rameriz for a list of any NORPAC products being used, and said he would personally get those products removed from Bon Appetite dinning halls! Campaign for Labor Rights' Emily LaBarbera-Twarog and President Ramirez just completed a speaking tour to Bon Appetite campuses encouraging students to make sure Bon Appetite complies with its promise to boycott NORPAC. For more information contact Campaign for Labor Rights, clr@clrlabor.org, 202-232-5002 or check PCUN's website: www.pcun.org
Duro (Mexico/Hallmark):Duro is a maquiladora located in the city of Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico--right across the border from McAllen, Texas. Duro workers assemble gift bags for Hallmark and Neiman Marcus. The factory is privately held, family-owned, and based in Ludlow, Kentucky. Workers put up their strike banners on June 12 in order to establish an independent union and to force the reinstatement of their elected leaders who were illegally fired. On Friday, March 2nd in a government-run union election, the workers at Duro Bag Company in Rio Bravo Tamaulipas, Mexico were robbed of their legal, constitutional and human right to be represented by a union of their own choosing. The election was blatantly undemocratic. The final vote of 498 to 4 replaced the current company-dominated union, the Paper and Cardboard Workers Union (CTM) with a similarly company-dominated union, the Cardboard and Paper Workers Union (CROC), a union that had provided about a hundred thugs to terrorize Duro workers in the weeks before the election. The workers had attempted to win representation for their local, independent Union of Duro Bag Workers. Over 150 of them were fired for organizing over the ten months of their struggle. The Mexican government had refused to order a secret ballot election on neutral grounds despite an agreement with the U.S. government last summer to do so in union elections. On Valentine's day of this year, hundreds of activists internationally sent Hallmark e-cards from its own web site urging the company to use its influence to ensure the workers a fair election. A strategy for the next steps of this campaign is under development. For more information contact Judy Ancel at the Coalition for Justice in the Maquilas: jancel@igc.org or Larry Weiss at the Resource Center of the Americas: lweiss@americas.org.
Kuk Dong (Mexico/Nike):Kuk Dong is a factory in Puebla, Mexico that produces for Nike and Reebok (among others). The clothes get sold in their outlets as well as on University campuses across the country. Kuk Dong has been the site of a struggle for freedom of association, just wages and benefits, fair conditions, and an end to physical and verbal abuse as well as forced overtime. The struggle began on Jan. 9, when all of the 850+ workers in the factory went on a wildcat strike in support of 5 workers were fired for leading a campaign to organize an independent union. Days later, as the workers occupied the factory grounds, 200 riot police raided the strike. Several workers were severely beaten, and 15 were sent to the hospital. Two days later, an agreement was reached to allow the strikers to return to work without reprisals, but shortly after, hundreds of the returning workers were either fired or forced to resign. After an escalation of the pressure campaign in Puebla, as well as among students and community activists in the U.S. and internationally, the company signed a second agreement on January 25th stating that all workers could return to their jobs unconditionally and without reprisal. On February 20, 39 workers (including two union leaders) returned to their jobs, and last Sunday, March 18, the independent union at Kuk Dong was legally recognized. Watch for CLR's Rapid Action Network Alerts for further postings on how to support the workers during the next step in their campaign: the push for a contract. For more information contact Campaign for Labor Rights, clr@clrlabor.org, 202-232-5002, or call United Students Against Sweatshops, www.usasnet.org, 202-667-9328.
SWEATSHOP BULLETINS
Triumph Accused of Double-Speak Over Refusal to Quit BurmaLingerie giant Triumph has been slammed over its refusal to pull out of Burma following a campaign by unions and rights organizations to urge the company to sever its links with the slave nation. Neil Kearney, General Secretary of the Brussels-based International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation, today dismissed as double-speak a statement issued by the multinational defending its position not to close its Rangoon factory. In a letter to the head of Triumph International Overseas, Gunther Spiesshofer, the ITGLWF rebutted the company's arguments, and warned that international pressure would continue to mount until Triumph pulls out of Burma. For more information, contact the ITGLWF at Itglwf@compuserve.com
China Condemned for Turning Classrooms into SweatshopsThursday, March 15, 2001: In the aftermath of a blast that killed forty-two people, mainly children, at an elementary school in the village of Fanglin in Jiangxi province, south eastern China, the international union representing workers in the garment and footwear industries worldwide has expressed concern at reports that the children were being forced to assemble fireworks to supplement their teachers' meagre incomes. Says Neil Kearney, General Secretary of the Brussels-based International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF): "Forced labour is not new in China, where an estimated eight million people are producing consumer goods from inside the Laogai ("Reform through Work'). But now it seems even classrooms are being converted into sweatshops." For more information, contact the ITGLWF at Itglwf@compuserve.com
DOMESTIC LABOR ISSUES
National Taco Bell BoycottThe CIW (Coalition of Immakolee Workers) -- together with student, community, religious, and labor allies -- will formally launch the NATIONAL TACO BELL BOYCOTT on Sunday, April 1st, outside of a Taco Bell restaurant in Orlando, Florida. Last week, an Oregon jury found Taco Bell guilty of "systematically engaging in the illegal alteration of pay records" of thousands of its own restaurant employees. For more information, check www.ciw-online.org.
JOB POSTINGS
STITCH Seeks Full-time Staff Person in GuatemalaSTITCH, a non-profit, non-governmental organization, founded in 1996, is dedicated to supporting women's organizing in export industries in Central America. STITCH's current program includes a training exchange between union women from Central America and the United States, a one-week language school delegation, a documentation project, and campaign support work. STITCH's program is regional in scope, involving projects throughout Central America and exchanges to the U.S For more information, contact Hannah Frisch. Mailing address: 4933 S. Dorchester, Chicago, IL 60615. Email address: hf52@aol.com. STITCH website: www.stitchonline.org.
Episcopal Farmworker Ministry Seeks an Interim DirectorThe Episcopal Farmworker Ministry in Newton Grove, North Carolina, is looking for an Interim Director to serve April 17, 2001 - August 17, 2001. Apply by March 6, 2001. For more information, contact Rev. Lisa G. Fischbeck, Chair of the Board of Directors, by email: lgfhf@bellsouth.net, or fisch@duke.edu at Church of the Holy Family in Chapel Hill (phone: 919-942-3108)
OTHER IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
CLR Booklet: "Globalization in Our Own Front Yard"This 24 page pocket booklet examines the impacts of economic globalization in the U.S on issues ranging from prisons, agriculture, the environment, and various labor issues. For more information or to place an order contact the Campaign for Labor Rights, 202-232-5002, clr@clrlabor.org
Alliance for Global Justice Booklet on FTAAThe Alliance for Global Justice's newest pocket booklet is a great tool for popular education and organizing work on the FTAA. Entitled "Free Trade Area of the Americas: Demystifying the Corporate Jargon," the 28-page, 4"X9" booklet translates FTAA "tradespeak" for general grassroots education and organizing, defining and analyzing the impact of terminology such as National Treatment, Market Access, Investor-State Dispute Resolution, Performance Requirements, etc, in an easily-accessible format. Individual copies are $2 (incl.S&H). For more information or to place an order online go to: www.afgj.org/donate. For bulk order inquiries contact mark@afgj.org
Stop NAFTA for the Americas-Call to ActionFrom April 17-21 in Quebec City, trade ministers will be meeting to negotiate the expansion of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to the entire Western hemisphere-a trade agreement called the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). This treaty would expand the power of corporations even beyond the provisions of NAFTA. Organize against the FTAA. There will be a mass mobilization in Quebec City from April 17-21 as well as localized, solidarity action in cities across the U.S. ~for more information on local actions contact Jobs with Justice, ftaa@jwj.org, check the website www.jwj.org, and for information about the mass mobilization contact ACERCA at acerca@sover.net
Student Labor Day of ActionOn April 4, 2001 hundreds of college campuses and thousands of students will mobilize and take action for workers rights, living wages, and against corporate greed. The Student Labor Action Project, United Students Against Sweatshops, and the Prison Moratorium Project have worked to coordinate students nationally to fight for workers rights and economic justice on the 33rd anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and in the spirit of the Memphis sanitation workers' struggle in 1968. A national grid of actions is being developed, so you can be easily connected with organizers in your area. This project is seen as an important tool for students and community labor and union activists to form lasting, local coalitions. For more information contact SLAP: 202-434-1106, tfaulkner@cwa-union.org, lmcspedon@yahoo.com
Canadian Speaking Tour of Colombian Social Movement Leaders Toronto Dates: March 17-23Featuring six social and political leaders from Colombia, this tour addresses the issues of Plan Colombia, displacement and development, peace and conflict, the environment. The tour is based on the diverse perspectives of longstanding social movements and organizations from Indigenous, AfroColombian, Women, Campesino and Union movements and organizations. For more information, contactlazosvisibles@eudoramail.com, cca_toronto@hotmail.com website: www.gratisweb.com/colombiacrisis phone: (416) 929-1834
Women's Delegation to Guatemala: "Sweatshops and Migration -Between a Rock and a Hard Place"Guatemala City and the Northwestern Highlands May 19 to 27, 2001. This STITCH women's delegation combines excellent Spanish instruction with an in-depth look at the economic situation facing women workers in Guatemala. Participants will spend five mornings learning Spanish with one-on-one instruction at the well-respected school La Union in the colonial town of Antigua, Guatemala. In the afternoons, participants will talk with the women battling conditions in the booming apparel-for-export (or maquila) industry in and around Guatemala City. For more information, contact Hannah Frisch at STITCH (773)924-5057, hf52@aol.com
Farmworker Action Week: March 25-31Farmworker Awareness Week is a national effort to inform as many people as possible about farmworker justice issues. Through this awareness blitz, we hope not only to educate, but also to generate momentum for future community activism. This national week of action is endorsed by Student Action with Farmworkers. For more information, contact Laura Podolsky, Expansion Coordinator, Student Action with Farmworkers: 1317 W. Pettigrew St. Durham, NC 27705, 919-660-3660, lbp@duke.edu
International Day of Action Against Starbucks: April 20, 2001Organic Consumers Association along with other Fair Trade, environmental, and food safety activists are gearing up for a worldwide campaign targeting Starbucks. On Tuesday March 20, 2001, the date of Starbucks annual shareholder meeting in Seattle, we will be organizing leafleting and media events in front of Starbucks in 50-100 cities around the world. For more information, leaflets, posters, background information, and letters: www.purefood.org/Starbucks/starbucks.html
Witness for Peace Delegation to Colombia: May 21-June 2, 2001"Bearing Witness to U.S. Military Policy in Colombia": Colombia has endured almost four decades of brutal armed conflict between the national army, leftist guerrilla movements, and right-wing paramilitary forces. Overwhelmingly, the victims of this conflict have been civilians. Into this situation, the U.S. Congress has approved the Clinton Administration's request for over $1 billion in military aid ostensibly to fight the "war on drugs." This delegation is a response to this aid package. More importantly, it is response to calls for solidarity from Colombian churches and human rights organizations that know this aid package will only escalate their country's violent conflict. For an application and more information, contact: Jim Flynn 435-654-4928, jeflynn@qwest.net. Elizabeth Miller at Witness for Peace, 202-588-1471, miller@witnessforpeace.org
LINKS TO IMPORTANT NEWS ARTICLES
Nike Fights Back"Swoosh Wars: In an operation modeled on the Clinton campaign machine, Nike takes on its enemies" By Tony Emerson, NEWSWEEK INTERNATIONAL, March 12 issue. www.msnbc.com/news/538847.asp?cp1=1#BODY
MIT Grad Student and Nike Official Debate on NBCOn Feb. 28, 2001, Mit graduate student Jonah Peretti and Vada Manager, Director of Global Issues Management at Nike, discussed sweatshops and the personalization of Nike shoes on NBC's Today show with host Katie Couric. ~for more information or a complete transcript, contact Jeff Ballinger, 617-496-6423, or check www.nikeworkers.org
If you have information you would like included in next month's edition of Campaign for Labor Rights' Monthly Index, please send an email (including all relevant contact information) to Daisy Pitkin: clr@clrlabor.org. CLR is also working to develop an "Anti-sweatshop Calendar" as a part of our web site. If you have information about events, actions, tours, delegations, teach-ins, etc...that you would like included on this calendar, please send that to me as well. Solidarity, Daisy Pitkin Campaign Coordinator Campaign for Labor Rights 202-232-5002 clr@clrlabor.org |
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