Life in Sweatshops

1
Life in Sweatshops

• By Emily Gerwin
• Jennifer Thomas

2
Sweatshops By Definition

• A sweatshop is a workplace where the wages are
  unacceptable, the hours are far too long, and the
  working conditions endanger the health and safety
  of the workers, whether or not laws are being
  violated.

3
History of Sweatshops

• The idea of a sweatshop came around between 1830
  and 1850.
• Before this, tailors made expensive custom
  clothing.
• As the Industrial Revolution made its way,
  sweatshop production of inexpensive clothing
  replaced the tailors.

4
Children Working In Sweatshops

• Throughout the world, 250 million children
  between the ages of two and fourteen are
  employed. One half work full time.
• Many children work in places where they are
  exposed to harmful chemicals.
• In Sri Lanka, more children die from pesticide
  poisoning than childhood diseases.

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How do sweatshops affect the United States?

• Almost half of the toys sold in the United States
  are made in China. China is well known for its
  outrageously low wages. Minimum wages are around
  80 cents per day.
• Almost all of soccer balls used in the United
  States are from foreign countries. Most soccer
  balls are made in Pakistan, where children may
  work as many as 12 hours in a day, for very
  little pay.
• There are sweatshops in the United States also.
  One worker in a Los Angeles factory that was
  making clothes for Guess, was paid only 40 cents
  for his work on a blouse. A department store in
  New York sold that blouse for 58 dollars.

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Statistics

• In Indonesia, minimum wage is 2.36 per day. If
  Nike took 1 of annual advertising budget which
  is 280 million dollars. It could bring all of
  its Indonesian workers out of poverty.
• Haitian worker earn 6 cents for every Disney
  t-shirt they make. Disney sells the same shirts
  for 20.
• In Salvador, sweatshop workers make twelve cents
  for sewing a shirt that Gap sells for twenty
  dollars.

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The poor is hated even of his own neighbor but
the rich hath many friends Proverbs 1420
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Laws Regarding Sweatshops

• A law in New York State prohibits the sale or
  distribution of sweatshop made clothing.
  Authorities can stop the distribution of
  sweatshop made clothes.
• The requirements of manual labor are as follows.
• A manual worker must be paid weekly.
• After working 40 hours, employees must be paid
  overtime, 1 and ½ times their hourly pay.

• The requirements regarding child labor laws are
  as follows.
• Children under the age of 16 cannot work in
  factories.
• The hours of work must be posted for all minors
  under 18 years of age.
• For safety, all fire exits must be clearly
  marked, accessible, and unlocked.

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Anti-Sweatshops

• The earliest sweatshop critics were found in the
  19th century movement that was to abolish
  slavery.
• Many abolitionists saw slavery and sweatshop work
  similar.
• As slavery was successfully outlawed, some
  abolitionists wanted to expand the anti-slavery
  consensus.
• The first major law to address sweatshops was the
  Factory Act of 1833. It was passed in the United
  Kingdom, around the same time slavery was
  outlawed there.

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Recent Anti-Sweatshop Movements

• Both the anti-sweatshop movement and the
  anti-globalization movement oppose sweatshops.
• The anti-globalization movement is against
  multinational corporations moving their company
  overseas to lower costs and increase profits.
• Both have accused companies such as, The Gap,
  Nike, and The Walt Disney Company of using
  sweatshops.
• Currently companies in the United States have
  begun changes.
• Both New Balance and Gap Inc. have began changing
  their policies.
• Wal Mart and Nike are still two of the largest
  corporate sponsors of sweatshops.

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What Others Are Doing

• The Bonded Labor Liberation Front in Pakistan has
  opened free primary schools for poor children.
• Students from Monroe High School in California,
  organized a resolution for the district to not
  buy soccer balls from countries that make them in
  sweatshops and allow child labor.
• At the end of April 1997, 10,000 workers went on
  strike at a Nike factory in Indonesia.
• During the same week 1,300 workers went on strike
  at a Nike factory in Vietnam.

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What We Can Do

• No Sweat Apparel is a company that sells clothing
  that isnt made in sweatshops. This company was
  formed to discourage sweatshop labor. They sell
  in some small stores across the country.
  Currently, there is only one store in New York,
  and thats in New York City.
• If we support organizations like that, and try to
  stop buying clothes from Wal Mart and Nike, were
  already making an impact. Once retailers see how
  people are against sweatshops, we can slowly stop
  their sales. If their sales slowly stop, maybe
  theyll get the idea that we wont buy sweatshop
  made clothing.

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How It Effects Us

• Wal Mart carries decent priced items. That is a
  major attention grabber for the family shopper.
• What they dont see is that the clothes are made
  in sweatshops, generally by children.
• Also, Nike is one of the largest sporting
  equipment brands. Many athletes buy Nike
  products. Nike has good quality equipment. Its
  very disappointing to find out that
• Its easy to tell someone that youll stop buying
  a sweatshop made product. Its not so easy to
  actually stick with that. What do you do when you
  find out that nearly half of the stuff you buy is
  made in sweatshops?

14

• I will bring the
• blind by a way that
• they knew not I will
• lead them in paths
• that they have not
• known Isaiah 4216