MuhlenbergSAS

Muhlenberg Students Against Sweatshops

What is a Sweatshop?
A sweatshop is a work place where employees are subjected to:

extreme exploitation, including the abscence of a living wage or benefits

poor working conditions, such as health and safety hazards

arbitrary discipline, such as physical and pychological abuse.

This definition was taken from Corpwatch. For more information and articles on the abuses that sweatshop workers suffer from, visit the Corpwatch Website

What drives company owners to contine running sweatshops over seas?
The reasons that sweatshops still exist today are incredibly selfish and include:

Corporate Greed. Since boundaries do not exist, corporations no longer operate their own factories. Instead they look for labor over seas that is cheap and has few regulations.

Seeking Out The Lowest Price. Companies often pressure their suppliers to keep manufacturing costs down. Then, the company acn sell more products at discounted prices in order to lure in more consumers.

"Squeezed at the bottom." With all these efforts to cut costs, where is all the money that is trying to be saved come from? The sweatshop worker's paycheck. This is why conditions suh as forced overtime, low wages, child labor, and other abuses exist.

International Policies. Organizations such as the World Trade Organization and the World Bank have created national trading policies which forces third world countries to become dependant. As a result, U.S. industries are thus allowed to create their purchase prices. For more information on the relationship between free trade and the use of sweatshops, check out the Anti-Capitalist Convergence home page!

So, as a U.S. citizen, why should I be bothered joining the fight against sweatshops?
Sweatshops do not only exist in third world countries. In fact, Recent studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor found that 67% of Los Angeles garment factories and 63% of New York garment factories violate minimun wage and overtime laws. Ninety-eight percent of Los Angeles garment factories have workplace health and safety problems serious enough to lead to severe injuries or death. The fact that the sweatshop issue plagues the United States as well as underdeveloped countries is only one reason why U.S. citizens should fight against them. Factory workers are stifled from speaking out against their oppressors due to fear of job loss and deportation. Therefore, it is up to those of us on the outside to fight for their labor rights.

Okay, so I see why it is so important that sweatshops are abolished? Now how do I start advancing towards winning the battle?
There are many ways that each individual can help free those that suffer from sweatshop conditions. One of the first things that you can do is sit down and write a letter to each company that supports sweatshop labor. Here is a list of just some of the companies that you can write to:

Ann Taylor                            Guess?                                                 Liz Claiborne
J. Patrick Spainhour                            1444 South Alameda Street                               Denise V. Seegal
142 West 57th Street                          Los Angeles, CA 90021                                     1411 Broadway
New York, NY 10019                                                                                                      New York, NY 10018
Phone: 212 541 3300                                                                                                       Phone: 212 354 4900
Fax: 212 5413379                                                                                                            Fax: 212 626 3416

Bradlees                               J.C. Penney                                        Nike
Peter Thomer                                     James E. Oesterreicher                                       Phil Knight
One Bradlees Circle                           6501 Legacy Drive                                              One Bowerman Drive
Braintree, MA 02184                         Plano, TX 75024-3698                                         Beaverton, OR 97005-6453
Phone: 781 380 8354                          Phone: 972 431 1000                                           Phone: 503 671 6453
Fax: 781 380 8096                             Fax: 972 431 1977                                               Fax: 503 671 6300

Esprit                                   May Company                                       Victoria's Secret
900 Minnesota Street                         611 Olive Street                                                   3 Limited Parkway
San Francisco, CA 94107                   St. Louis, MO 63101                                            Columbus, OH 43230

The Gap                               Kmart                                               TJX Companies/Marshalls
Community Relations                        Floyd Hall                                                              Bernard Cammarata
1 Harrison Street                               3100 West Big Beaver Road                                770 Cochituate Road
San Francisco, CA 94105                  Troy, MI 48084                                                     Farmingham, MA 01701
Phone: 1 800 GAP STYLE                Phone:248 643 1000                                             Phone: 508 390 1000
                                                           Fax: 248 643 5636                                                 Fax: 508 390 2828

Wal-Mart                                 Walt Disney
David Gass                                        Michael D. Eisner
Chairman and CEO                           500 South Buena Vista Street
Wal-Mart Home Office                     Burbank CA, 91521
702 SW 8th Street                             Phone: 818 560 1000
Bentonville, AR 72716                     Fax: 818 560 1930

* If you find yourself in the situation where you want to help out by writing a letter but just don't have the time, here is a universal letter that can be printed and mailed to the CEO of any sweatshop supporting company. *

How do I know whether or not certain articles of clothing were made in sweatshops?
It is almost impossible to determine this by merely looking at the label, and no lists exists that includes all comapnies that support sweatshop labor. The best way to determine the conditions that clothes were made in is to ask clothing companies a series of questions. For a list of suggested questions for salespersons and CEOs, click HERE

For further information on this issue, please visit:

* If you wish to become a member of Students Against Sweatshops or have further questions about the issue, please do not hesitate to contact me*