Marianas sweatshop reform update-for those who were wondering

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

I was asking a few days ago why nothing had been done on this yet in the new congress, given the abramoff scandal and culture of corruption. Turns out, there has been some action. But they need to pass it as a seperate bill. They have the votes. They did even in the old GOP congress. It was Dolittle and co. refusing to allow a vote that stopped it.

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Last year, a new governor in Saipan demanded that Abramoff’s firms return all the money the government paid him over the years now that the commonwealth was getting nothing but bad publicity for having hired him. Abramoff lost his contract there in 2001.

And this year, Young’s longtime nemesis in House Resources, Democrat Rep. George Miller of California, inserted a provision in the Iraq spending bill that would extend the U.S. minimum wage to the commonwealth. The measure passed the House and Senate, but is expected to be vetoed by President Bush because of its deadline to withdraw troops from Iraq.

Miller, the new chairman of the ouse Labor & Education Committee, has been saying for years that failure to reform immigration and labor policy in the Marianas has not only enriched Abramoff and his clients, it’s caused real human suffering and threatened national security.

“The core corruption in the CNMI is the failure to apply our federal immigration laws to this part of the United States,” Miller said in a 1999 oversight hearing chaired by Young. “As a result, organized crime, communicable disease and human exploitation, directly attributable to the CNMI’s lax immigration laws, not only thrive in Saipan, but threaten every American. The time has long since passed to slam the door shut on these abuses and to restore federal law to the Marianas.”
more:
http://www.adn.com/front/story/8838799p-8739449c.html

[illinoisprogressive]

1. thanks. I have been wondering myself

[KT2000]

2. Thanks for posting

good info!

[Peace Patriot]

3. The Bushit there is just putrid.

It won't solve the bigger problem--global corporate predators outsourcing jobs to the cheapest labor markets they can find in the world (and also the massive environmental destructivenss of this global corporate piracy called "free trade"), but at least it will help clean up the vile cesspool of exploitation in this US territory. What they do is, they acquire young women from extremely poor countries in Asia, transport them to the Marianas, then indenture them for the passage. They are no better than indentured slaves in these "sweatshops." Extremely low wages, no human, civil or labor rights. And I'm sure that ain't the half of it. This is where Tom Delay and Abramoff and the foul Bushite crowd were cavorting.

And almost any major clothing store you go into, you are looking at clothes sewn by slaves. For info, a good source is www.globalexchange.org. They sued Gap and other retailers over this. Gap has refused to settle the lawsuit, and reform its practices. Here is Global Exchange's letter, which you can sign and send at
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/sweatshops/saipan/gapfax.html

Donald Fisher, Chairman
The Gap, Inc.
One Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94105

Dear Mr. Fisher,
As consumers and concerned citizens, we are writing to you because we are concerned with the conditions of the workers producing garments for GAP Inc. on the island of Saipan in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and all over the world. We continue to be concerned about the charges made in reports by federal enforcement agencies, the U.S. Congress and the lawsuit filed against GAP Inc. and 25 other retailers and manufacturers on the island of Saipan. As you know, these charges include the use of immigrant workers from China, Thailand, Philippines, Bangladesh and Vietnam who must first sign contracts that deny them their basic human rights; the payment of exorbitant recruitment fees that keep workers in a state of indentured servitude; workdays of up to 12 hours a day, seven days a week, often without overtime pay; union-busting and housing in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.

Currently 19 companies have agreed to the settlements. Nordstrom Inc., The Gymboree Corp., Cutter and Buck Inc., and J. Crew Group Inc. were the first to settle in August 1999. Since then, Brooks Brothers, Brylane L.P., Calvin Klein Inc., Donna Karan International Inc., The Dress Barn Inc., Jones Apparel Group Inc., Liz Claiborne Inc., The May Department Stores Company, Oshkosh B'Gosh Inc., Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., Sears Roebuck and Company, Tommy Hilfiger U.S.A. Inc., Warnaco Group, Inc., and Woolrich Inc. have all agreed to settle as well. We applaud these businesses for their move towards justice for workers in Saipan and we urge GAP Inc. to do the same.

The settlements include both prospective relief-prohibiting Saipan-based contractors from violating the law in the future, with strict monitoring provisions to ensure compliance--and retroactive relief--payments to garment worker class members whose rights were violated in the past. Perhaps the strongest aspect of prospective relief is the Saipan Code of Conduct, which provides for extensive on-site monitoring by Verite, a non-profit international human rights monitoring organization based out of Amherst, Massachusetts.

GAP Inc. consistently assures its customers that it does not tolerate abuses in the factories where it does business. It insists that its internal monitoring system is so rigorous that any abuses would be detected and corrected. But the lawsuit--which includes firsthand investigations and interviews with dozens of workers--belies GAP's assertions. GAP Inc. should truly enforce its Code of Conduct and agree to an on-site monitoring plan by Verite, as other businesses have already agreed to do.

If GAP Inc. is going to continue production in Saipan, it should uphold its values as a responsible business and settle the lawsuit. It should also strive to make changes and enforce its Code of Conduct in all of the other countries where it does business. We understand that GAP Inc. does business in 50 countries around the world, including Saipan. We are asking you to settle the Saipan lawsuit, as well as include a "living wage" in your Code of Conduct so that all GAP Inc. employees can live with dignity and respect and be proud to work for your company. Until then, we will continue to pressure your company through educating consumers and protesting your stores and Headquarters. We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter, and look forward to hearing your response.

Sincerely,

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

4. bumping for the day crowd

this was a late nite post