1. Sweatshops & Human Rights Andrea Boos, Brooke Gulick, Julie Thelen

2. Overview What is a sweatshop? Conditions in sweatshops Where are they located? What companies use them? What companies refuse to use them? How do they violate human rights? How do we end sweatshops?

3. What is a Sweatshop “A shop or factory in which employees are forced to work long hours at low wages under unhealthy conditions” “Denial of dignity and basic human rights” A business violating “more than one” federal or state labor law governing Minimum wage and overtime Child labor Industrial homework Occupational health and safety Worker’s compensation Industry registration

4. What is a Sweatshop – contd. Sweatshops virtually disappeared after WWII Trade unions Increased regulation over monopolies Now Sweatshops are increasing due to economic globalization Typical employees 90% are women Young and uneducated Undocumented immigrants unaware of legal rights

5. Conditions In Sweatshops Unsafe working conditions Machines Temperature Amount of labor Agricultural Terrible living conditions Crowded Filthy Rat-infested Located behind barbed wire fences monitored by armed guards No visitors

6. Conditions In Sweatshops Low to zero wages and compensation Often only.10 -.20/hour No overtime Charged fees to get a job ABUSE Punishment (beating) for working slow/making a mistake Sexual harassment No bathroom breaks Abortions

7. Where are they? There are probably sweatshops in every country in the world. Central and South America China United States

8. U.S. Sweatshops 1906 Sinclair published The Jungle Immigrants in Chicago Gave the public images of a sweatshop 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire broke out 500 immigrant workers

9. U.S. Sweatshops The fire department arrived within minutes of the alarm to witness workers jumping from the 8 th and 9 th floors to escape the fire.

10. U.S. Sweatshops Fair Labor Standards Act Minimum wage Principle of the 40-hour week Minimum working age El Monte Garment factory 72 immigrant workers

11. Companies Operating Sweatshops Wal-mart K-Mart J.C. Penney Tommy Hilfiger The Gap Banana Republic Old Navy The Limited Guess Nike Reebok Adidas IBM Apple Panasonic General Electric General Motors Disney

12. Nike Sweatshops Moved production to Indonesia, Vietnam, and China Commit numerous violations of human rights: Health and safety standards Paid less than $2 per day Fear tactic Verbal abuse Overworked

13. Wal-mart Sweatshops Promotes poor working conditions Violates human rights Dateline NBC’s Hidden Camera Investigation in Bangladesh Hidden Costs

14. What companies refuse to use Sweatshops? No Sweat Union Jeans Justice Clothing Protexall Leather Coats Etc. DeMoulin Brothers Ben Davis Nueva Vida Fuerza Unida Global Exchange's Fair Trade stores

15. Are companies that refuse to use them helping? Yes Companies loose millions of dollars in revenue Those companies forced to leave developing countries No By taking these jobs away from people, they are loosing the best job they ever had Workers are forced to become beggars, prostitutes, and thieves to survive. Some DON’T survive One man’s story

16. Sweatshops Violate Human Rights Human Rights Rights that belong to an individual as a consequence of being human. Department of Labor Study 75% of US garment shops violate health and safety laws. 67% of LA’s and 63% of NY’s garment factories violate minimum wage and overtime laws.

17. Sweatshops Violate Human Rights Department of Labor Study 98% of LA’s garment factories violate workplace health and safety standards “substantial probability of death or serious physical harm” 70% of immigrant workers receive below minimum wage

18. How do we end Sweatshops? Labor Unions Worker Owned Companies

19. Discussion Questions Is it right for companies to use sweatshop labor, and should we force them not to? Would you pay a higher price for something (when you could get it for a lower price) because you knew sweatshops were not used to produce it? Do you think it would be better for the sweatshop workers if people refused to buy the products they make? What do you think should be done to make it fair for the sweatshop workers?

20. Bibliography A World Connected: Sweatshops and Globalization 2005 http://www.aworldconnected.org/article.php/525.html http://www.aworldconnected.org/article.php/525.html Corporate Watch. (2000). "Exposing Nike's Sweatshops". http://www.corpwatch.orghttp://www.corpwatch.org Given, O. (1997). "Frequently Asked Questions About Sweatshops and Women Workers". http://www.feminist.org/other/sweatfaq.htmlhttp://www.feminist.org/other/sweatfaq.html Global Exchange: Sweatshops http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/sweatshops/links.html http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/sweatshops/links.html History of Sweatshops in America www.sweatshops-retail.org/nrf%20website/history.htm Human Rights www.Britannica.com Britannica Encyclopedia online. Morey, Mike. (2000). "Nike Slammed Over Indonesian Factories". Workers Online. http://workers.labor.netau/70/news1_nike.html http://workers.labor.netau/70/news1_nike.html MSNBC:Dateline Human Cost Behind Bargain Shopping http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8243331 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8243331 Musicians Against Sweatshops info@nosweatshop.org No Sweat http://www.nosweatapparel.com/http://www.nosweatapparel.com/ Resist Newsletter (A Call to Resist Illegitimate Authority) July/August 1998 www.resistinc.org Women and Global Human Rights: Women and Sweatshops http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/sweatshops.html http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/sweatshops.html