Holiday Season Anti-Sweatshop Campaign

This Campaign for Labor Rights holiday campaign is an educational campaign to inform retailers and corporations that consumers are willing to pay a little bit more if that will eliminate sweatshop and child labor abuses. The campaign will also encourage consumers to join the anti-sweatshop movement by giving them a positive action for this holiday season. Some people are uncomfortable "protesting" but they do want to help build a better world. This holiday season action gives them a positive way to express their opinion.

First download and print from your computer both the "Dear Store Manager" card and "The Holiday Season is a Time of Joy" leaflet. There are four "Dear Store Manager" cards on the page. Print a sufficient number of each to provide for your personal or leafleting needs. Keep in mind that many people will want more than one "Dear Store Manager" card so they can deliver one to each store where they shop. It is best to print the card on thicker paper known as card stock, although if cost is a concern, regular paper will do. Any small print shop will have a paper cutter to separate the cards. Printing on light-colored paper will make them easier to read.

You can save money by asking a church, business, or non-profit to make copies for you on their copier as a donation to the anti-sweatshop movement.

Ideas for Distribution

Organize leafleting actions at local shopping centers. Be friendly with everyone you meet – those taking the leaflets, those who don’t take them, store managers, security guards. Expect that many people will react positively to the good cause you’re promoting. Express the joy you’re trying to bring to everyone this holiday season. As you approach people with leaflets, say a positive phrase like “Joy to all workers this year!”

Note: Freedom to leaflet at shopping centers varies from location to location. You are less likely to run into problems outside the mall than inside. If approached by security, have one person in your group designated to talk to the guard while others continue to leaflet. Willingly share the information with the security guard and point out that you are not asking people to boycott the stores or otherwise harm their businesses. Encourage the guard to show the materials to his or her supervisor. Agree with all requests from security, but move to comply very slowly. If at some point the police are called, stop leafleting and leave immediately unless you wish to risk arrest as an act of civil disobedience or in order to challenge local laws that restrict your freedom of speech.

Talk to clergy in your community about putting a stack of cards and some leaflets in their place of worship. See if you can get an announcement put in the bulletin or mentioned from the podium.

Pass out cards and leaflets to your co-workers and encourage them to make some and pass them out to their friends.

Stand anywhere that people gather, such as post offices, court houses, grocery stores, public transit stations, etc. and hand them out whenever you have a few minutes to spare. Encourage friendly people to make copies and pass them out themselves.

Be creative. This is an action that anyone can do. If you have a particularly successful experience or have a good idea for how to distribute the cards and leaflets, send Campaign for Labor Rights an email at clr@clrlabor.org so we can share your experience with other activists.