Sweatshops

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Sweatshops Responsible Purchasing in Todays
Global Economy - A Catholic Perspective

• Sweatshops 101
• Catholic Social Teaching Sweatshops
• Whats Being Done About This?
• Responsible Purchasing Policies Practices
• What You Can Do

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Sweatshops 101

• A sweatshop is a workplace where workers are
  subject to extreme exploitation, including the
  absence of a living wage benefits, poor working
  conditions, denial of worker rights, and
  arbitrary discipline.
• Workers typically work long hours for sub-poverty
  paychecks.
• Worker abuses can include unsafe or
  life-threatening working conditions, physical
  punishment, emotional humiliation and the use of
  child labor.

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Sweatshops 101 - Wages

• Dominican Republic - .73/hour
• El Salvador - .60/hour
• Mexico - .50/hour
• Haiti - .30/hour
• China - .28/hour
• Bangladesh - .20/hour
• Burma - .04/hour
• 
  National Labor Committee
  

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Sweatshops 101

• Government and international agencies agree that
  a majority of clothing and footwear are produced
  under sweatshop conditions
• The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that more
  that half of the sewing shops in the US violate
  minimum wage and overtime laws
• It is estimated that as many as 75 of all U.S.
  garment shops violate safety and health laws.
• An overwhelming majority of garment workers in
  the U.S. are immigrant women.
• US Sweatshops Between 3-4/hour

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Life in a Sweatshop

• Some sweatshops are located in neat, clean,
  pleasant looking factories
• Where the primary major negative aspect is the
  sub-poverty wages
• Others are not so lucky
• 12-16 hour shifts, six and seven days/week
• Very unsafe working conditions (and housing)
• Fired if you become pregnant or try to organize a
  union
• Sexual harassment and physical punishment if
  dont make quotas
• Limited/monitored bathroom breaks
• Sub poverty wages or worse.

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Its 2 a.m. A 16-year-old girl is just finishing
up an 18 1/2 hour work day sewing clothing
possibly school uniforms. She works 102 hours
per week for 12 cents/hour. - National
Labor Committee
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Sweatshops in the Dominican Republic

• Weve visited several sweatshops in the
  Dominican Republic over the past couple years
  with US corporation officials, factory management
  and union representatives

Heres what we found
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Sweatshop Salaries/Cost of Living in DR

• 515 Pesos/Week Minimum (44 hr Week)plus piece
  work incentives - 2,200 Pesos/Month
• 32/week or about .73/hour.
• With work incentives some make as much as -
  37.50-41/week
• Child Care 125 pesos/child/week, Transportation
  16 pesos/day, Rent 500 pesos/month or more
• UNION DEFINED LIVABLE WAGE
• 6,000 Pesos/month375/month

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Catholic Social Teaching, the Global Economy,
Sweatshops
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Economic Justice Catholic Social Teaching

• The Catholic Church views global economic justice
  issues through the lense of Catholic Social
  Teaching.
• The economy exists for the person, not the person
  for the economy.
• All people have the right to economic initiative,
  productive work, just wages and benefits, decent
  working conditions, as well as right to organize
  or join union or other associations.
• A fundamental moral measure of any economy is how
  the poor and vulnerable are faring.

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Economic Justice for All

• Employers are obligated to treat their employees
  as persons, paying them fair wages in exchange
  for the work done and establishing conditions and
  patterns of work that are truly human. (Section
  69)

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Economic Justice for All

• But justice, not charity, demands certain minimum
  guarantees. The provision of wages and other
  benefits sufficient to support a family in
  dignity is a basic necessity to prevent this
  exploitation of workers. (Section 103)

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Catholic Teaching on Economic Life

• Workers, owners, managers, stockholders and
  consumers are moral agents in economic life. By
  our choices, initiative, creativity, and
  investment, we enhance or diminish economic
  opportunity, community life and social justice.
• The global economy has moral dimensions and human
  consequences. Decisions on investment, trade,
  aid, and development should protect human life
  and promote human rights, especially for those
  most in need wherever they might live on this
  globe.

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Catechism of the Catholic Church

• Everyone should be able to draw from work the
  means of providing for his life and that of his
  family, and of serving the human community.
  (2428)
• A just wage is the legitimate fruit of work. To
  refuse or withhold it can be a grave injustice.
  In determining fair pay both the needs and the
  contributions of each person must be taken into
  account. (2434)
• All of us are consumers and most of us are
  workers. We begin with dialogue and the
  realization that justice consists in the firm and
  constant will to give God and neighbor their due
  (1836)

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Whats Being Done About This?

• Government Actions
• Business Reforms
• Actions of the Church
• Voice of the Consumer

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Whats Being Done About This?

• Government Actions
• Improved existing laws and regulations
• Unfortunately, enforcement resources are quite
  limited.
• Regulations also have limited affect outside U.S.
• Business Reforms
• Many have strengthened their agreements with
  overseas contractors concerning the treatment of
  workers often as a result of public and
  shareholder pressure
• Some have even begun to implement Independent
  Monitoring

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Whats Being Done?The Church

• Speaking Out Papal Statements, U.S. Conference
  of Catholic Bishops, Leadership Conference of
  Women Religious, CST
• Corporate Dialogue Helped stimulate many
  corporate reforms through shareholder and
  community dialogue
• Education/Advocacy Sponsoring speakers,
  curriculum development, letter writing
• Responsible Consumer - Adoption of Sweat Free
  Purchasing Policies

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Sweat Free or Clean ClothesResponsible
Purchasing Policies

• Require suppliers ensure that the products they
  provide are made by manufactures who abide by
  international labor rights and human rights
  standards and site-of-production laws and
  regulations
• Manufactured under safe, just and healthy working
  conditions, including no child labor, no forced
  labor, wages that, at a minimum, meet workers
  basic needs, and respect the right to organize
  and bargain collectively.
• Many also require disclosure of the names and
  addresses of the factories and/or confirmation of
  independent monitoring of factories

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Who Has Adopted Sweat Free or Clean Clothes
Purchasing Policies?

• Dozens of State Local Governments
• State New York, California, New Jersey, Maine
• San Francisco, Boston, New York, Bangor,
  Milwaukee, Dozens of Others
• Universities (Duke, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, St.
  Marys, Georgetown, Harvard)
• Public School Districts
• Los Angeles
• Minneapolis
• New York
• Milwaukee

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Who Has Adopted Sweat Free or Clean Clothes
Purchasing Policies?

• Catholic Groups
• Many Universities
• Diocese of Newark, New Jersey
• Diocese of Chicago, Illinois
• Diocese of San Francisco, California
• Diocese of Albany, New York
• Diocese of Hamilton, Ontario

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How Do They Work/What Do They Entail? (Newark
Example)

• The Archdiocese of Newark unveiled a plan for
  consumer action and education in its Catholic
  schools in 1997.
• The program identifies manufacturers of Catholic
  school uniforms and works with the Department of
  Labor to determine compliance with fair labor
  standards
• The archdiocese then distributes a list of
  approved vendors.
• Newark has also developed a religion and social
  studies curriculum to educate students about
  worker rights.

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What You Can Do

• You dont have to be a letter writer to take
  action on this issue just a conscientious
  consumer.
• Have your organization adopt a Sweat Free
  Purchasing Policy
• Look for sweatfree/fair trade products when you
  make your purchases.
• If you cant find any, let your store clerk know
  that you are interested in sweatfree/fair trade
  products.
• Remember, business responds to consumer demand.

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Everyday Christianity

• Catholicism does not call us to abandon the
  world but to help shape it. This does not mean
  leaving worldly tasks and responsibilities, but
  transforming themSocial justice and the common
  good are built up and torn down day by day in the
  countless decisions and choices we make.
• US Catholic Bishops - 1999