Labor is Not a Commodity

Vermont Becomes Seventh Sweatfree State

By Liana Foxvog, National Organizer, SweatFree Communities

Yesterday Vermont became the seventh “sweatfree” state in the United States when Governor Jim Douglas signed a sweatshop-free purchasing policy into law.

The Governor's signing ceremony was held at Brattleboro Union High School. Members of the student organization Child Labor Education and Action (CLEA) had initiated and led the campaign to pass the law.

Hannah Viens, a senior, said: “CLEA advocates for the human rights of child laborers and sweatshop workers. We've held conferences to educate students. Today, before the bill signing, we presented to our classmates about how the bill is a concrete way to humanize the global economy.”

Sweatshop Workers Visit Goshen College

By Keith Miller, Goshen College

Just as background, Vicki Kaplan from SweatFree Communities contacted me after PR person Jodi Beyeler sent her my way. Because we have led SST (Study Service Term, an international experiential education program of Goshen College) in both Cambodia and Costa Rica, we have a continuing interest in what happens in those countries. We already were aware of some of the working conditions in fields and sweatshops (we had visited a sweatshop with SSTers in Dominican Republic years ago), and while we had talked with social service agencies who addressed workers' rights in both countries, we had not had direct, unsupervised exposure to actual laborers.

Once when we were visiting a banana plantation in Costa Rica, a crop duster flew over the grounds while we and Costa Rican workers were among the trees. I'm sure the crop duster knew workers were there, but he probably didn't know that U.S. visitors were present. We could feel the mist from whatever chemicals were being dumped, and it was frightening.

I just read that one Cambodian sweatshop union just negotiated a $6 increase in wages per month, which means workers like Phal Savin, who was here Sunday evening, will now get $56 per month for eight- to 12- hour days. Savin and other Cambodians like her spend 70 percent of their income on food. Even the most thrifty person can't leave with any comfort or security on that amount of money.

Sweatshop Workers Visit Govt Officials, Students, and Unions

By Vicki Kaplan, SweatFree Communities

What is it like to produce the low-cost goods that have made Wal-Mart so popular in the U.S. and around the world? It's easy to feel very distant from the workers who harvest the pineapples and sew the t-shirts; we rarely interact with them and we rarely hear about their working conditions in the news.

That's why the International Labor Rights Forum and SweatFree Communities are sponsoring the 2008 Wal-Mart Sweatshop Workers Speaking Tour. We're embarking on day 4 of the two-week tour through Ohio and Michigan.

On today's agenda:
meetings with Ohio state senators and representatives, a radio interview, and an evening community meeting in New Philadelphia, Ohio.

You can see our schedule and join us for a event by visiting www.sweatfree.org/events_workertour

Happy International Women's Day!

By Beth Myers, Executive Director, STITCH

Although International Women’s Day is not celebrated in the United States with much fanfare, it is a day that women around the world use to highlight women’s challenges and successes. Many have heard of International Women’s Day and understand that it is a day to celebrate women, but did you know that this day is also an important milestone in women’s union power?

International Women’s Day was first created to mark the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York in 1911. This fire was one of the worst industrial disasters in New York and caused 148 garment workers to lose their lives.

For our benefit, but at what cost?

Beth Myers, Executive Director, STITCH

So much of what we consume in our kitchens comes at a horrible cost to the workers who pick, pack or pluck it.  But rarely do we know the struggle of these workers.  Thankfully, sometimes, there are those that take the extra step to provide us with the information that we need to truly recognize the amount of labor and the amount of exploitation that goes into putting food on our plates.  If you ever have or ever will eat chicken, I urge you to read the series put together by the Charlotte, NC, Observer.  It is an amazing piece of journalism that everyone who cares and workers and workers' rights should read.

Keep reading to check it out.

Fashioning an Ethical Industry

By Hannah Higginson, Joint Project Coordinator, Fashioning an Ethical Industry

Fashioning an Ethical Industry (FEI) is a unique education project that works directly with tutors and students on Higher and Further Education fashion related courses in the UK to give an overview of how the fashion industry can positively and negatively impact on working conditions in garment manufacture and to inspire students – as the next generation of industry players – to raise standards for garment workers in the fashion industry of the future. The projects activities include running student workshops, organising tutor training events, providing teaching resources and working with tutors to integrate ethical issues related to garment manufacture into their teaching.

Africans speak out concerning "Footloose Investors"

By Kira Topik, student at Pitzer College and ILRF intern

Two weeks ago ILRF had the pleasure of hosting three labor rights advocates from Kenya, Lesotho and South Africa. Steve Ouma Akoth, Matsepo Anna Lehlokoana and June Hartley spoke with students, media representatives, various companies and organizations and government officials about the impact of U.S. trade policy on workers in Sub-Saharan Africa during their visit.

The trip was linked with the release of a report by the Netherlands-based Center for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) titled “Footloose Investors”, and joined by SOMO representative Esther de Haan, as well.

Educating Apparel Industry Professionals

By Marsha Dickson, Fashion and Apparel Studies (University of Delaware)

It is clear that supporting workers’ rights needs to involve a wide variety of stakeholders, including those working for multinational companies.  In the apparel industry, the actions and decisions of buyers, designers, merchandisers, and sourcing professionals have often conflicted with efforts made by the human rights/labor compliance departments of the same companies.  My colleagues and I at the University of Delaware and two other institutions are working to educate those who will be, or already are, industry professionals in buying, design, merchandising, and sourcing, so that they know how their decisions impact workers and so that they become part of the solution to poor labor standards and working conditions versus part of the problem for workers.

Over the last few years my colleagues and I have done the groundwork necessary to develop a set of graduate level courses that address labor and environmental issues in the global supply chains for the apparel, textile, and footwear industries.  We have conducted research and interviews with industry leaders and professionals who lead nongovernmental organizations and civil society groups with a stake in the global apparel business.  The courses we have developed and started teaching in August 2007 provide a foundation of knowledge needed to manage international production and sourcing of apparel, textiles, and footwear in ways that are socially responsible and sustainable.

Victory at 3 Garment Factories

Trina Tocco, Campaigns Coordinator, International Labor Rights Forum

It's really been a different experience for me to identify factory success stories given how overwhelmed I often feel from all of the urgent actions I receive from unions and labor allied organizations around the world.  Since this is the week to talk about successes, I think the 3 following factory cases show that we have been able to make some progress.

Learn more about:

• Russell Athletics in Hondoras
• PCCS Garments in Cambodia
• Thai Garment Export in Thailand

The information in this blog came from documents published by the Worker Rights Consortium.

Women, Labor and Leadership Curriculum Success

*This blog entry is part of our week-long response to the World Social Forum's Global Week of Action (January 21-26, 2008).  Our theme for all blog entries this week is: "Another World is Possible: International Labor Solidarity Success Stories."  If you would like to contribute, contact Tim at tim.newman[at]ilrf.org!*

By Cassandra Baker, Outreach Coordinator, STITCH

In 2007, STITCH complete our work on our Women Labor and Leadership Curriculum in Central America.  This curriculum is a series of trainings and workshops that address the need for union women to develop skills to combat the injustices in their lives.  The Women, Labor and Leadership Curriculum uses the best techniques from the popular education model that began with the participants experiences and ends with their commitment to new practices.  Our partners in Central America are enthusiastic about the changes in their lives and the plans for the future.  Keep reading for more information!