You would think that working for a big time zillion dollar apparel company would totally rule. Tons of freebies. A huge discount. A chance to meet celebrity endorsers. It just can't get any better than that right? Wrong!
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• But they make millions! • Some workers actually die • What can you do to help? |
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But for poor factory workers overseas, it totally sucks.
According to the Nike Corporate Accountability Campaign by Educating for Justice, Nike factory workers in Indonesia get paid about $1.25 an hour and work 13+ hours a day,
According to Behind the Label's Sweatshop Files, in 1999, Abercombie & Fitch factory workers in Saipan got paid $3.05 or less an hour and Gap workers in Cambodia get paid about $0.21 an hour.
But they make millions!Big retail and clothing companies are in a race to increase profits and decrease production costs. That means using sweatshops (so called because of the long hours in poorly ventilated factories where workers inhale harmful fumes, operate heavy and dangerous machinery, and handle toxic chemicals).
Huge portions of sweatshop workers are children and women who must work to help support their families.
According to UNITE! -- Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees -- there are no international laws that require corporations to respect worker's rights or pay a decent wage.
Back to topSome workers actually die
According to the Washington Post, nineteen-year-old Chinese factory worker Li Chunmei died last November after working a long 16-hour day in a toy factory in Songgang, China. By the end of the day, she was physically exhausted, hungry and had a horrible inexplicable cough.
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According to penmagic, the "Wellco Factory is in China and produces Nike Athletic Shoes. Workers are paid $0.16 per hour,they work 11-12 hour shifts 7 days a week."  |
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Back to topWhat can you do to help?
Consumers must step in and demand that retail companies stop using sweatshops to manufacture their products.
Get more information and join other NOISEmaking student groups in taking action.
High School Students Against Sweatshops
Join tons of other teens, youth groups and organizations that have begun a powerful grassroots movement to stop sweatshops. Find out how to make your school sweatshop-free and start your own school based anti-sweatshop club.
For more information go to www.uniteunion.org/sweatshops/hsas/hsas.html
United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS)
USAS is an organization of students and community members at over 200 college campuses that participate in a movement that supports the struggles of working people and challenges corporate power.
For more information go to www.usasnet.org/
Workers Rights Consortium (WRC)
WRC is a non-profit organization created by college students, administrators and labor rights experts with the purpose of assisting in the enforcement of manufacturing Codes of Conduct adopted by colleges and universities. These Codes are designed to ensure that factories producing merchandise bearing college and university names respect the basic rights of workers.
For more information go to www.workersrights.org/
Behind the Label
Behind the label is a kick butt site that gives you tons of info on how you can get involved in the campaign to stop the use of sweatshops as well as the scoop on what some of your favorite stores are doing or not doing to respect the rights of its factory workers.
For more information go to www.behindthelabel.org
Back to top--By Erica "ericaNOISE" Fullington
• Child Labor: What would you do if you had to support your whole family at age 12?
• Get the scoop on a chocolate covered child labor scandal.
Sources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8254-2002May12.html
http://www.uniteunion.org/
http://www.nikewages.org/index2.html
http://www.behindthelabel.org/
http://usasnet.org/
http://www.sweatshops.org/
