Sweatshop-Free Schools

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Sweatshop-Free Schools
Feminsist.org
Scobel Wiggins

• Hannah Smith
• Kelly Girouard

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What are sweatshops?

• sweat-shop n. A shop or factory where employees
  work long hours at low wages under poor
  conditions.
• The Department of Labor defines a work place as a
  sweatshop if it violates two or more of the most
  basic labor laws including child labor, minimum
  wage, overtime, and fire safety laws.

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Why are there sweatshops?

• Corporate greed and global competition
• Need for foreign investment in developing
  countries
• Pressure to provide discount prices
• Lack of consumer knowledge of what products are
  made in sweatshops

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What is wrong with sweatshops?

• Sweatshop workers report horrible working
  conditions including sub-minimum wages, no
  benefits, non-payment of wages, forced overtime,
  sexual harassment, verbal abuse, corporal
  punishment, and illegal firings.
• Sweatshop workers work for extremely little pay
  under extremely unsafe and inhumane conditions.

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Sweatshops the U.S.A.

• 50 of U.S. garment factories are sweatshops
• Many sweatshops are run in California, New York,
  Dallas, Miami, and Atlanta
• The U.S. government has laws (The Fair Labor
  Standards Act of 1938 and the Stop Sweatshops
  Bills) that attempt to prohibit sweatshops in
  America, but cannot do anything about sweatshops
  in other countries.

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Nike and Sweatshops

• In 2005 Nike disclosed its 2004 Corporate
  Responsibility Report admitting to countless
  labor abuses and disclosing the locations of
  their 700 factories worldwide.
• Labor activists had been fighting for these
  locations for years so that independent groups
  could monitor the factories but Nike had refused
  to disclose them.

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Alternatives

• Sweatshop wages are caused by the CEOs and other
  upper level management getting paid outrageously
  high salaries while their workers are starving.
• If the managements were to cut their salaries
  even a small amount this would help solve the
  problem of sweatshop labor.

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What can you do?

1. Demand sweatshop-free products where you shop.
2. Buy union-made, local, and second-hand.
3. Buy Fair Trade.
4. Ask questions.
5. Mobilize at your workplace, school, or in your
   community.
6. Use shareholder clout.
7. Educate others.

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Clothing at CV

• Sports uniforms (Soccer, cross country, football,
  volleyball, cheerleading, basketball, wrestling,
  swimming, baseball, softball, track, tennis,
  lacrosse, and golf)
• Spirit clothing in the Max (T-shirts,
  sweatshirts, etc.)

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Data- Girls Soccer

• 2 pairs of socks, 2 shorts, 2 jerseys, warm-ups.
• Made by Nike
• Made in Indonesia or Vietnam
• Nike utilizes sweatshops in both Indonesia and
  Vietnam

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Data- Boys Soccer

• 2 pairs socks, 2 shorts, 2 jerseys, warm-ups
• Made by Nike
• Made in Korea or Indonesia
• Nike utilizes sweatshops in Korea and Indonesia

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Data- Cross Country

• 1 jersey, 1 shorts, optional sweats/shirts
• Made by Nike (jersey/shorts)
• Made in Indonesia
• Made by (sweats)
• Made in Honduras or Nicaragua
• Nike uses sweatshops in Indonesia

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Data- Volleyball

• 2 jerseys, spandex, warm-ups
• Made in U.S.A. (jerseys/spandex)
• Purchased through No Dinx
• Made in Honduras/Vietnam (warm-ups)
• U.S.A. had laws preventing sweatshops. There are
  sweatshops in Honduras and Vietnam.

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Data- Football

• Jersey, shoulder pads, dryfit undershirt, girdle,
  helmet, gloves, pants, socks, sweats, bags
• Mostly made by Nike
• Made in Honduras, U.S.A., Israel, Mexico, El
  Salvador and China
• Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, and China have
  Nike sweatshops.
• U.S.A. does not, no data on Israel.

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Data- Basketball

• Jersey, shorts, warm-up shirt, shoes
• Made by Russell Athletics
• Russell Athletics uses sweatshops in Honduras

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Data- Cheerleading

• Skirt, shell, body liner, spankies, shoes
• Made by Varsity Spirit Fashions (uniform)
• Made in Memphis, Tennessee
• Made by Nike (shoes)
• U.S.A does not use sweatshops
• Nike uses sweatshops to manufacture their shoes

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Data- Swimming

• Suit, cap, sweatshirt
• Made by TYR (Suit)
• Made in China
• Made by Gildan (Sweatshirt)
• Made in Honduras
• Both companies use sweatshops

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Purchasing

• p//www.nosweatapparel.com/miva/graphics/00000001/
  2000.jpg

16.00
24.00
12.13
7.48
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Alternative Companies

• The following are companies that could provide
  sweatshop free alternatives for future athletics
  uniforms.
• Alleson Athletic (ask specifically for UNITE HERE
  products)
• American Images by Hillstar, Inc.
• King Louie International (ask specifically for
  only union-made products)
• Murray Randolph Manufacturing Company
• The Powers Manufacturing Company (ask
  specifically for union-made products, because
  they also carry some that aren't)

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Bibliography

• coopamerica.org/programs/sweatshops/whattoknow.cfm
  
• dictionary.reference.com/browse/sweatshops
• old.sage.edu/academics/schoolofprofessionalstudies
  /management/programs/definitions.htm
• feminist.org/other/sweatshops/sweatfaq.html
• coopamerica.org/programs/sweatshops/sweatfreeprodu
  cts.cfm
• unitehere.org
• nosweatapparel.com
• worldofgood.ebay.com
• veganessentials.com