Recognized as a leader in church reform, CTA showed its commitment to societal justice as it launched its “Focus on Sweatshops” at Conference 2000.
First came a direct action initiative, as 300 conference attendees joined long-time CTA notables Michael Crosby and Bishop Tom Gumbleton, along with local Milwaukee activists, in a protest march to PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ (PWC) Milwaukee office. PWC was employed by Kohl’s department store to monitor working conditions in Central American factories that produce clothing for the retail chain. The firm certified the Chentex factory in Nicaragua was in compliance with Kohl’s code of conduct. But independent monitors, including Gumbleton, uncovered overtime and minimum wage violations, as well as systematic harassment of workers. Over 500 Chentex workers have been fired for affilating with the workers’ independent union, which is supported by the majority of Chentex workers. In May, workers staged a one-hour work stoppage to call attention to their request for an eight-cent raise. At the end of October, Chentex backed out of negotiations with the union. Human rights groups around the country are calling on Kohl’s to pressure Chentex owners into negotiating a fair contract with the worker-chosen union, including granting the eight-cent raise. This holiday season, Kohl’s will be the target of the Campaign for Labor Rights’ Holiday Mobilization.
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| CTA conferees take to the streets in a twilight march against a sweatshop in Nicaragua. |
On Saturday, hundreds of conferees chose to attend sessions on sweatshops. Workshops conducted by leaders of the United Students Against Sweatshops movement, CTA social justice organizer Claire Noonan Bates, and liberated sweatshop worker Chie Abad (story, page 4) were packed to overflowing. After hearing moving stories of worker and student activism, one participant declared, “Now I’m going to have to cut up my store credit card.” Another pledged to write to her bishop asking him to be sure Catholic school uniforms are not manufactured in sweatshops. A third asked how he could persuade the president of his university to sign on to the student-backed factory monitoring project.
For the Holiday Mobilization, see www.nlcnet.org/campaigns/organizers_packet.htm or check the CTA “Focus on Sweatshops” information/action packet, available from CTA.