CTA Peace and Justice

Focus on Sweatshops

 

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because God has chosen me to bring good news to the poor."
(Luke 4:18)

IGNITE YOUR SWEATFREE CAMPAIGN!
BRING A SPEAKER TO YOUR COMMUNITY!
Host Chie Abad, former sweatshop worker and powerful speaker, to speak at
your school, place of worship, union, or community center.



CARMENCITA "CHIE" ABAD speaks from personal experience about the hardships endured by millions of workers in sweatshops around the world. Chie spent six years as a garment worker on the Pacific island of Saipan, a U.S. territory. She endured wretched conditions, frequently working 14-hour shifts in order to meet arbitrary production quotas for her employer, the Sako Corporation, which made clothes for the Gap and other retailers. When she tried to organize a union, Chie was met by fierce resistance from management and eventually lost her job. She now lives in the U.S., and works with Global Exchange to educate consumers about the inhumane factory conditions occurring worldwide, including on U.S. soil. Her story is an inspiring example of how people can win if they stand up for their rights. Sweatshop-Free Organizers, Liana Foxvog of SweatFree Communities and Valerie Orth of Global Exchange can train a group to work against sweatshops and provide advice on how to build and win a sweatfree purchasing campaign. The trainers can either accompany Chie_s talk or facilitate campaign strategyand organizing sessions on their own.

***To book an event or for more information, please contact:***
Maryam Roberts at (415) 575-5550 or maryam@globalexchange.org.

Living under the watchful eye of Burma's brutal dictatorship, young women sew garments for Wal-Mart stores in far-off Canada for 4 cents an hour. Farmworkers in North Carolina labor under the hot sun amid dangerous pesticides for 12 hrs a day. Their life-expectancy is 25 years lower than the national average. Farm owners and food processors refuse to negotiate a contract with the worker-chosen union. Investigators in Chicago discover that over 60% of textile manufacturers are in violation of OSHA standards, minimum wage and child labor laws.

As consumers, as citizens, and especially as baptized Christians we recognize that our choices have consequences. In the global economy, we are faced with the awesome choice between exploitation or solidarity. To stand in the tradition of Jesus, or under the judgment of Amos.

Call To Action, embracing the great Catholic tradition of Rerum Novarum, Gaudium et Spes, and Economic Justice for All, is committed to putting into practice the demands of the gospel. Our "Focus on Sweatshops" provides:

  • up to date information about the issue in print and web publications;
  • analysis from the perspective of Catholic social teaching;
  • workshops and speaking events;
  • resources for changing individual, family, and community consumption to support workers;
  • links to other organizations conducting sustained campaigns against worker abuse.
Please join us!

 The Catholic Archdioceses of Buffalo, Newark and Chicago work with the Department of Labor to ensure that Catholic school uniforms are manufactured under dignified working conditions. Education offices develop a curriculum to accompany the "Sweatfree" uniform campaigns.

 

 Through rallies, petitions, sit-ins and hunger strikes, university students around the country pressure 88 schools to commit to independent human rights monitoring of school apparel production.
  Thousands of religious groups nationwide, including Catholic churches, convents, friaries, and schools, purchase fair trade coffee, guaranteeing small farmers a living wage.

"Focus on Sweatshops" Information/Action Packet available from Call to Action ($5)

 For more information or to get involved, contact:

Mauro Pineda

Social Justice Organizer
Call to Action
2135 W. Roscoe 1N
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 404-0004 ext. 268
fax: (773) 404-1610
email: mauro@cta-usa.org
www.cta-usa.org



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Call To Action
2135 W. Roscoe 1N
Chicago, IL 60618

tel. 773-404-0004 | fax. 773-404-1610 | e-mail. cta@cta-usa.org