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I have noticed a trend between many organizations that we have looked at so far. Many of them have focused on educating people about the bad working conditions that sweatshop workers endure. Is this education enough to stop the problem though? According to Relevant Magazine, "Education is an important step in achieving social and permanent change" (Hunt, 2015). Education may be a good stepping stone, but it will never be enough to change the situation. More action must be taken.

The first source I found was an article by Relevant Magazine. The magazine's focus isn't usually on topics like sweatshops. However, they came up with some hypothetical strategies to end the sweatshop epidemic that I thought were interesting. Like I hinted above, one of their solutions was educating more people about the problem. They also had more actions that I see as more impactful and could work. One more example includes shopping from ethical companies instead of the ones that utilize sweatshops. This strategy is very similar to the International Labor Rights Forum's campaign, Sweatfree Communities. I discussed about this campaign under the "Who Are We" section. Anyways, there are a few reasons how this could help. If a consumer intentionally bought from an ethical company, you would know the workers at that particular company would be treated the right way. How does this help current sweatshop workers though? It helps by discontinuing financial support for the sweatshops. This is a very good idea in theory, but would take a long time. How many people would have to do this to make a difference? A very significant amount. Many high profile companies use sweatshops. It would take a massive amount of people to stop them. I don't see this as being realistic. It would take too long to convince enough people to stop buying items from name brand companies like Nike and Apple.

Source: Hunt, K. (2015). How You Can Help Put an End to Sweatshop Labor. Retrieved from https://relevantmagazine.com/reject-apathy/how-you-can-help-put-end-sweatshop-labor

My second source looks at the sweatshop issue with a different perspective. It looks at improving the working conditions of sweatshops. This is different from completely ending operations of them. Why end sweatshops completely? Sweatshops, by themselves, aren't the problem; how the workers are treated is the problem. If sweatshops were ended, it might make life harder for the sweatshop workers. In some countries, sweatshop labor is the best thing for these people. Maybe instead of focusing on ending sweatshops, we should look at keeping sweatshops, but completely improving the working conditions and rights for workers. There is a very good piece of evidence in this article: "Between January 2010 and December 2013, a research team led by Tufts University Associate Professor Dr. Drusilla Brown surveyed more than 5,100 workers and managers of Vietnamese apparel factories. They found not only that improved working conditions incentivized employees to get the job done faster, but also that higher productivity translated into higher wages for workers and higher profits for the factory. On top of that, more profitable factories were able to supply more products to international buyers" (Manchester, 2015). This is a study I never heard of before, but is good info to know if we decided to include an alternate solution to the issue at hand.

Source: Manchester, K. (2015). Better Conditions in Sweatshops Could Actually Increase Profits. Retrieved from https://groundswell.org/sweatshops-vietnamese-apparel-factory/

As I have done more research on this project, my perspective of the situation is starting to change. The current solutions that anti-sweatshop organizations have been coming up with aren't working at the pace they would like to see. This has been the case for many decades and what significant improvements have actually been happening? This is very opinionated, but I think if we want faster results, we might have to go the route of just improving working conditions. As evidence has proved, this is even economically a good solution. A question I could see coming up though is where is the money going to come from? Would the companies provide this money or would one of the global organizations like the WTO, IMF, or World Bank? Would there be a new organization that takes donations? These are all things to consider. I wonder what everyone else thinks about this perspective.

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I looked up the strategies that USAS applies themselves. "First, we demanded that our universities tell brands to disclose the locations of the factories producing collegiate apparel; then we pushed universities to adopt labor codes of conduct that set minimum standards for collegiate apparel production; then we compelled our schools to affiliate with the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), the only independent apparel monitoring organization.". Essentially, USAS uses their leverage with their universities to pressure corporations that are using sweatshop labor into fixing their working conditions and labor practices, and into allowing the WRC to monitor their facilities.

For some reason the information provided on the USAS website never really goes into detail about what the workers they are supporting are actually doing to organize in their countries, but some workers who have lost their jobs because they were trying to organize their coworkers have formed a union-made apparel company called Alta Gracia based in the Dominican Republic. Alta Gracia is now what USAS is pushing as the collegiate apparel alternative to brands that use sweatshop labor like Nike.

USAS. (n.d.). Garment Worker Solidarity. Retrieved from http://usas.org/campaigns/garment-worker-solidarity/

This might fall under goals and achievements but I found a thing:

USAS. (2017, August 31). VICTORY! USAS Forces Nike to Sign Landmark Agreement with Workers Rights Consortium. Retrieved from http://usas.org/tag/nike/
a

USAS. (2011, September 28). OSU USAS Strips Down in Protest of the Cowboys. Retrieved from http://usas.org/4222/

USAS. (n.d.). Nike, Respect Garment Workers in Indonesia! Retrieved from http://usas.org/nike/

USAS. (n.d.). 76 USAS activists arrested during wave of 13 occupations this spring! Retrieved from http://usas.org/76-arrests-13-occupations/

Students Sit-In to Demand No Sweatshop Apparel and End to Union Busting. (2008, April 23). Retrieved from https://fistyouth.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/students-sit-in-to-demand-no-sweatshop-apparel/

O'Neil, S. K. (2017, January 18). Fighting Bangladesh's Sweatshops. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org/blog/fighting-bangladeshs-sweatshops

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Strategies and Tactics- scholarly research 

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The first article I found talk about how United Students Against Sweatshops and Sweatfree Communities used strategies and tactics to fight against sweatshops. USAS has went through three phases of activism. Phase one focused on requiring universities to adopt code of conduct and disclose the names and locations of their production facilities. This was mostly done through sit-ins at multiple universities all over the country. A big break through with this goal was when Nike offered to disclose the location of their facilities if students joined the Fair Labor Association. Phase two was to get universities to adopt independent monitoring of the codes by joining the WRC because they did not like the FLA. In the current and third phase, students are asking universities to sign on to the Designated Supplier Program. This requires the utilization of production facilities where workers are actively defending their rights. Students have used tactics of rallying in the nude, taking over university offices, and hunger strikes. So far, there are 36 universities who have joined the program. Sweatfree Communities takes a lot of strategies from USAS. Along with having students focus efforts on campus, they have long term citizens and residents who influence local and state lawmakers. Their goal is to get companies, government entities, and universities to create sweat free policies based on wage, child labor, health, safety, and freedom of association. The article does not go into as much detail on strategies and tactics of this organization.

Esbenshade, J. (2008). Going up against the global economy: New developments in the anti-

sweatshops movement. Critical Sociology, 34(3), 453-470. Retrieved from

http://journals.sagepub.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/0896920507088168

The next article I found talks about the Clean Clothes Campaign. The CCC strategies mostly consist of public campaigns, articles, rallies, demonstrations, and the use of social media. They also talk in conferences and participate in events. They talked in a conference in Turkey which ended up bringing in 230 participants. Their biggest and most known campaign is “Play Fair at the Olympics”. Following this success, CCC created the Programme of Work which advocated freedom of association. This got recognized by Puma, Adidas, and Reebok.

Wawrzyniak, T. (2017). Corporate social responsibility in the garment industry. The case of the

Clean Clothes Campaign and developing states. International Economics, 18, 79-91. doi:

10.18778/2082-4440.18.02

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Strategies and Tactics: Scholarly Research

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Strategies and Tactics: Scholarly Research

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This source talks about “naming and shaming” strategy. This strategy consists of anti-sweatshop groups or organizations to publicly announce a company that is utilizing sweat shop labor, then they encourage protests their products and stores. Targets for this strategy have infamously included Nike and Wal-Mart. One of the key factors in this strategy is that often times, the conversation begins with the oppressed supply chain employees and oppressed labor unions that these employees are a part of, or want to be a part of, but cannot (like Wal-Mart). It also shows statistics that indicates for large corporations to change their labor supply chain, “direct social movement pressure appears to have been necessary.” Consumers care about where their products came from, and who made them, which makes firms that use sweat shop labor tactics, more of a target when a labor scandal is publicized. When scandals are publicized, consumers express concern, but this study did not find statistically significantly data to support the validity of a news frenzy causing lasting stakeholder damage or positive changes in labor supply chain across all firms. It undercut them but did not spoil these large corporations. There are certain types of firms that are more prone to having sales affected by anti-sweat shop campaigns, such as garment stores (ie: Nike). Overall, naming & shaming is one of the highly used strategies by anti-sweatshop movement, by many different organizations. Students Against Sweatshops are one of the organizations that primarily does this; names a company to “go after” and protest them nationally.

(Bartley & Child, 2011)

This source talks about the different ways that activist groups draw out more followers and raise awareness. Often, NGOs and human rights groups work with limited budgets or funds, so they must get creative with their approaches. The internet is integral to their success and achievements, as it is a very cheap (and often, free) way to disseminate information and organize meetings or protests. The internet provides a place to communicate with group members, or other groups, in an efficient and quick manner. Students are one of the vital players in the anti-sweatshop movement. Student age demographic means we utilize the internet more often, and in more unique ways, than virtually any other demographic. NGOs and activist groups use the internet to host virtual training sessions or activist-resources that include “online handbooks, activism guides, chants, discussion groups, and information” on starting new chapters. For example, NGO ‘Global Exchange’ uses the internet for activists that want to start campaigning for change. Their website has an exclusive section that targets Nike, on this part of the site, you can find a Campaign starter kit that includes petitions, anti-sweatshop resolutions, and sample letters to send to Nike and/or start groups. It encourages students to start campaigns against Nike by starting on their college campuses and inquiring about any contracts Nike has with their athletic department or bookstore, and then encouraging student government and university officials to reject/end contracts to support the anti-sweatshop movement. Additionally, many groups, such as the Independent Media Center seek to provide real news reporting that is unbiased, and often not presented on the normal national news channels. Activists can seek out information/reporting on things such as protest events.

(Carty, 2002)

Bibliography

Bartley, T., & Child, C. (2011). Movements, Markets and Fields: The Effects of Anti-Sweatshop Campaigns on U.S Firms 1993-2000. Social Forces, 425-451.

Carty, V. (2002). Technology and Counter-hegemonic Movements: the case of Nike Corporation. Social Movement Studies, 129-146.

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Strategies and tactics research - popular research 

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This source talks about the making of a global movement regarding sweatshops, how it got started, and some strategies that are and would be used in the future. It references the marches in Seattle to protest the WTO's meeting regarding human rights organizations that are arguably failing. It paints the background for the costs of “free trade” well. The two strategies put forth by this source are Target Selection and the Celebrity Strategy. Target selection refers to singling out a corporation for their wrongdoings in sweatshops such as Nike and the founder, Phil Knight. The celebrity strategy refers to having people in Hollywood and of high status express the harms of sweatshops raising awareness. The Target section strategy is more immediate towards a change and the celebrity strategy is more focused on awareness.
Bullet, B. J., (1999). Strategic Public Relations, Sweatshops, and the Making of a Global Movement. Retrieved from URL https://shorensteincenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2000_14_bullert.pdf?x78124
This source talks about the actions taken by this particular group, Love Fashion Hate Sweatshops, in the UK to achieve change. They advocate for the rights of workers who are exploited when producing cheap fashion for the market. The article states that asking companies to regulate themselves hasn’t worked and boycotts have only led to a loss of jobs and the only way to achieve real change is through legally binding regulation. This group goes after their government to make a change and they also highlight how brands and retailers “fail” their workers.
Love Fashion Hate Sweatshops. (2016). In War on Want. Retrieved from URL https://waronwant.org/love-fashion-hate-sweatshops
This source talks about how some of the actions taken by sweatshop movements might have been successful, particularly the changes Nike has implemented throughout the years. Since 2005, Nike publishes a detailed 108-page report about its conditions and pay in factories, acknowledging widespread issues in factories in South Africa. To this day, Nike continues to post their standards, commitments, and audit data. All of this came about from the widespread awareness from sweatshop movements.
Nisen, M. (2013, May 09). How Nike Solved Its Sweatshop Problem. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/how-nike-solved-its-sweatshop-problem-2013-5

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Goals:

It is pretty obvious what the anti-sweatshop organizations are trying to achieve. To put it simply, they want to improve the working conditions of sweatshop workers. If you look at the mission statements for the organizations we chose in the "Who Are We" section, you will see that they all say similar things. Here are a few mission statements from our previous page:

"The Clean Clothes Campaign network works to structurally improve working conditions and support the empowerment of manufacturing workers in the global garment and sportswear industries."

Source: What we believe in. (2018). Retrieved from https://cleanclothes.org/about/principles

"The mission of the Fair Labor Association is to combine the efforts of business, civil society organizations, and colleges and universities to promote and protect workers’ rights and to improve working conditions globally through adherence to international standards."

Source: Mission & Charter. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.fairlabor.org/mission-charter

"SweatFree Communities aims to support sweatshop workers globally in their struggles to improve working conditions and achieve respect at work."

Source:
SweatFree Communities. (2018). Retrieved from https://laborrights.org/our-work/sfc

As you can see, improving working conditions is one of the main priorities that these organizations and campaigns are trying to achieve.

Achievements:

The source I found outlines some achievements that the anti-sweatshop movement has already obtained. It is an article from New York Times that displays some of the improvements that have been made overseas. One statement in the article says, "At many factories, labor rights advocates say, managers have stopped hitting workers, have improved ventilation and have stopped requiring workers to obtain permission before going to the toilet." Another example states, "In one significant move, Nike and its rival Reebok are requiring the many Asian factories that produce for them to stop using petroleum-based adhesives that cause damage to the liver, kidney and central nervous system in favor of safer water-based adhesives."

The article has many other examples that are used to reinforce the point that these organizations are actually making a difference. The author claims that these improvements are a direct result of the efforts made by the ant-sweatshop movement. This article was actually reposted by the International Labor Right Forum, one of the organizations from last week's page. This goes to show that the ILRF tries to update their followers and members when new sweatshop improvements are being made.

Source: Greenhouse, S. (2000). Anti-Sweatshop Movement Is Achieving Gains Overseas. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/26/us/anti-sweatshop-movement-is-achieving-gains-overseas.html

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Goals & Achievements: Scholarly Research

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United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) was founded in 1997 by a group of organizers from the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Technical Employees (UNITE). USAS began as an organization campaigning for no-sweat licensing policies at campus bookstores. "It is a now a broad political movement, campaigning for labor rights inside and outside the university; for economic justice; and for peace in the era of globalization" (112). USAS was a founder of the Worker's Right's Consortium, launched in April 2000. By 2002, USAS had brought over 90 universities into the WRC. The Living Wage Campaign at Harvard was won in 2001, with the campus president pledging to work with campus unions. In 2001, students delivered a petition signed by 2,500 undergraduates urging NYU to recognize and bargain with their graduate student union. Several hours later, they signed an agreement setting the terms for collective bargaining. These are just several of USAS's many victories.

Krupat, K. (2002). Rethinking the sweatshop: A conversation about united students against sweatshops (USAS) with charles eaton, marion traub-werner, and evelyn zepeda. International Labor and Working Class History, 61, 112-127. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.1017/S014754790200008X

This journal examines the Bangaldesh Accord to determine if it is an "international agreement breakthrough". Regardless of whether or not this is the case, the Bangaldesh Accord is still a huge victory for the anti-sweatshop movement. The Bangladesh Accord is a historical achievement to improve worker's safety and working conditions. The journal concludes that the Accord is indeed a breakthrough, because it was a legally binding international and national agreement, the government supported it, and because it empowered workers.

Rahman, M. Z. (2014). Accord on "fire and building safety in bangladesh": A breakthrough agreement? Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, 4(1), 69-74. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/1702200784?accountid=39473

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In 2017, Adidas was awarded a global award, the Thomson Reuters Foundation Stop Slavery Award. This award is given to businesses that “excel in efforts to identify, investigate and root out forced labor from their supply chains.” Other companies that exemplify this and received like awards include C&A and Intel. Adidas has created a position, senior manager of social and environmental affairs, that ensures while they outsource labor and production globally, they will “not outsource our moral responsibility which is to do right by the 1.3 million workers who make [their] products.” Adidas is known in the apparel industry for being transparent, having strong responsible sourcing guidelines, and tools to trace higher-risk supply chains to ensure they are not compromising their ethical labor. They have also set up tools for employees to report any abuses virtually and anonymously.

(Reuters, 2017)

United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) has been protesting Nike for a long time. They protest alleged conditions that include mass fainting, wage theft, and padlocked exits at factories. In the 90s, Nike strived to reform their labor practices after massive protests against their company, but USAS says they have begun slipping recently in their labor practices. Workers Rights Consortium got access into the Hansae, Vietnam Nike Factory to inspect it. They were able to document labor abuses such as limiting restroom breaks, exposure to chemicals, and no access to emergency exits. This shed light to the public on the labor conditions. Furthermore, USAS has been impactful when protesting Nike as their college market segment is huge. Nike has responded to these mass protests, like in 2010, when they paid $1.54 million to help 1,800 workers in Honduras.

(Segran, 2017)

References

Reuters. (2017, November 15). Adidas Leads Way as 4 Companies Win 'Stop Slavery' Award. Retrieved from VOA News: https://www.voanews.com/a/adidas-leads-way-as-four-companies-win-stop-slavery-award-/4117648.html

Segran, E. (2017, July 28). Escalating Sweatshop Protests Keep Nike Sweating. Retrieved from Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com/40444836/escalating-sweatshop-protests-keep-nike-sweating

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Goals and Achievements- scholarly research

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Goals and Achievements- scholarly research

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One article I found talked about the United Students Against Sweatshops victory. After much persuasion they got the corporation, Russell Athletic, to rehire 1,200 workers in Honduras when Russell closed their factory after the workers had unionized. The USAS started a nationwide campaign that got administrations of Boston College, Columbia, Harvard, New York University, Stanford, Michigan, North Carolina and 89 other colleges and universities to suspend their licensing agreements with Russell. They also picketed the N.B.A. finals of Orlando and Los Angeles to protest their licensing agreement with Russell and put flyers in sporting good stores to urge them to boycott Russel products. In the agreement, Russel agreed to reinstate the dismissed workers and pledged not to fight against unionizations at its seven factories there.

Greenhouse, S. (2009, November 18). Labor fight ends in win for students. The New York Times, pp. B1.

http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/ps/i.do?p=OVIC&u=lom_gvalleysu&id=GALE%7CA212257226&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon

Another article I found talked about The Fair Labor Association accrediting three companies. The article states "to earn accreditation, a company's commitment to social responsibility must always include implementation of a robust, on-the ground program to assess and improve working conditions in the factories from which they source." This means that these three companies have programs that are currently being used to improve working conditions. Adidas and Patagonia got reaccredited due to their push for greater accountability, high workplace standards, improve workplace conditions, and their work towards fair compensation of workers. The company Outerknown got accredited for its social compliance program and by setting a new standard by organizing their structure and culture around FLA’s principles.

Cashen, Jill. (2017, October 19). Fair Labor Association Announces Accreditation of Three Social Compliance Programs: Adidas, Patagonia Achieve Reaccreditation; First-time Accreditation for Outerknown. PR Newswire. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/1952534254?pq-origsite=summon

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Goals and Achievement - Popular Research 

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1) This source touches on the vision of our movement and what we wish to gain from it, solidarity towards the movement and a universal standard for labor laws. This source also points out that some universities have leverage over apparel licensing companies and students can push their schools to make a difference. This part intertwines with the solidarity aspect of the vision. The source also talks about the actions that have been taken to achieve such goals, for instance, engaging in solidarity work by publicizing sweatshop working conditions and pressuring apparel brands to take action.

Dirnbach, E. (2001, January 28). Global Sweatshops, Solidarity and the Bangladesh Breakthrough. Retrieved from http://www.publicseminar.org/2016/01/global-sweatshops-solidarity-and-the-bangladesh-breakthrough/

2) This source also covers the vision of our movement, primarily from a group we have looked at concretely, United Students against Sweatshops. Their mission is a campaign of solidarity, while working to “build sustainable power for working people.” They believe in fighting oppression while maintaining collective liberation with others and also fighting for better working and living conditions.

USAS: Organizing for Student and Worker Power. (n.d.). In Mission, Vision, and Organizing Philosophy. Retrieved from URL http://usas.org/about/mission-vision-organizing/

3) This source, in part, talks about the pressure non-compliant industries and organizations are subjected to by activists. Since the 1980s, activists have put pressure on apparel companies in hopes of ending sweatshop labor practices. Efforts by the USAS were successful after multiple universities refused to renew their contracts with Nike and this is just one of the successes in achieving their goals. This source found that 80% of the studied companies were found non-compliant with adjusting to the wishes of the activists, but the 20% is the part we are going to focus on. Companies who were compliant found a study increase in annual purchasing as they were producing better quality products and delivering them on time. However, some conditions overseas have slowly improved conditions in response to the vocal anti-sweatshop movement. Although these improvements have been sporadic, labor advocates think it may be the beginning to more improvement on a larger scale.

Linke, R. (2018, January 29). Factories get more business when they treat workers right. Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2018-01-factories-business-workers.html

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Just find the section and move your research horizontally to the right so it's all in a row for the given research category
Try to make your text box the same height as everyone else, not horizontally the same, but the same vertically so its basically a line left to right
Any pictures, move to the far right.

Potential Global Social Movements - Left to right next to this box

"The Problem" Research - Directly below this, research is left to right

"Who are We" Research - Directly below "The Problem", research left to right

"Goals and Achievements" Research - Directly below "Who Are We", research left to right

"Strategies and Tactics" Research
At the bottom

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The company I found is called Labour behind the Label, and it campaigns exclusively for labor rights worldwide in the garment industry. They are based out of the UK and work with 250 other organizations worldwide (these organizations aren’t listed). They have a couple campaigns like “Change Your Shoes”, “Living Wage”, and “Worker Safety”. The campaigns leader is Nicola Round, the director of policy is Dominique Miller, the director of fundraising is Caroline Lewis, and the Director of Finance is Ursula Wills-Jones. They website states “we raise public awareness and promote collective action from consumers to push for change in the industry. We pressure companies to take responsibility for worker’s rights throughout the entirety of their supply chains. We work with trade unions worldwide to amplify garment worker’s demands. We lobby governments and policy makers to legislate and protect garment workers human rights. The focus of our work comes from garment workers themselves, and we provide a platform to amplify their voice and demands and to promote international solidarity.”

Labour Behind the Label. (2001). Labour Behind the Label. Retrieved from

http://labourbehindthelabel.org

Another group I found against sweat shops is the Fair Labor Association. Their mission statement is “to combine the efforts of business, civil society organizations, and colleges and universities to promote and protect workers’ rights and to improve working conditions globally through adherence to international standards.” They are partnered with Adidas and many colleges like Arizona State University, Angelo State University, and Boston University. They are apart of a couple projects like Jo-In Project, PREPARE Project, WAGES of Inequality, and Task and Labor Risk Mapping. They have a 19- member Board of Directors with the head chair member being Michael Posner.

Fair Labor Association. (1999). Improving Workers Lives Worldwide. Retrieved from

http://www.fairlabor.org

Jobs with Justice is an organization founded in 1987. They have launched many

campaigns like Caring Across Generations, Change Walmart, Change the Economy, United Workers Congress, Debt-Free Future, and Protecting Our Workers from Exploitation and Retaliation. They also educate and mobile workers, support unemployed Americans, and have won state-level legislation. Their two co-executive directors are Sarita Gupta and Erica Smiley and they also have many other staff members. Their three projects include Labor Research Action Network, National Workers Rights Board, and Student Labor Action Project.

Job with Justice. (1987). Jobs with Justice. Retrieved from http://www.jwj.org/

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My first source names three of the major organizations working against sweatshop labor, the National Labor Committee, the Worker's Rights Consortium, and United Students Against Sweatshops. The NLC is focused on primarily educating and raising consciousness about the issues behind sweatshop labor. The Worker's Rights Consortium works with colleges and universities to "implement manufacturing Codes of Conduct". United Students Against Sweatshops is made up of college students on campuses across the country. USAS chapters work to get universities to sign on with the WRC in order to encourage different manufacturers to meet the WRC's standards.

So, in short, we are students, we are workers, and we are educators.

More About Sweatshops, and the Organizations Who Fight Them. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://publici.ucimc.org/more-about-sweatshops-and-the-organizations-who-fight-them/

This article speaks about the Anti-Sweatshop movement that has swept across colleges in the United States. Students organized sit-ins, demonstrations, and occupied buildings. It explains that manufacturers in the United States outsource their creation of clothes to contractors around the world. These contractors run sweatshops. "This has contributed to a global race to the bottom, in which there is always someplace, somewhere, where clothing can be made still more cheaply."

The article acknowledges Kathie Lee Gifford and Robert Reich as leaders of the anti-sweatshop movement. Gifford was involved in a scandal regarding her line of clothing at walmart being produced by Honduran child workers, despite the clothing having a tag stating part of the profit would go to helping children. She then became an anti-sweatshop advocate following the scandal. Robert Reich was the Labor Secretary for the United States while this scandal, as well as another scandal involving 73 migrants found being held in a sweatshop in California. These scandals gave him more leverage and he began to put more pressure on corporations to conform to industry standards. This being said, we shouldn't jump to herald these two figures because that erases the leadership and the work put in by the actual sweatshop workers themselves to fight for their own rights.

The Campus Anti-Sweatshop Movement. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://prospect.org/article/campus-anti-sweatshop-movement

This article describes a story told  by a sweatshop worker named Noi Supalai detailing the working conditions in the factory she worked in. She describes her experience working for Nike and how she and her coworkers unionized themselves after the factory owner stopped paying them because Nike put a fine on the factory for not meeting quotas. The workers went on strike, and Nike pulled their orders from the factory. They were able to settle things down with the Workers' Rights Consortium backing them up.

Lee, H. S. (2016, March 22). Former Nike factory worker shares story of abusive working conditions. Retrieved from https://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/campus/article_4fcbbb98-efe1-11e5-9e95-6fc988b86843.html

This is a statement from the International Labor Rights Forum against sweatshop labor.

International Labor Rights Forum. (2018, September 24). Retrieved from https://laborrights.org/industries/apparel

The International Labor Organization is a labor agency that is part of the UN. The article is about a meeting the ILO had regarding sweatshops. They encourage workers organizations as well as employers to "work together to reduce non-wage labour costs without having a negative impact on wages and benefits".

ILO Meeting Targets Sweatshops in Footwear, Textiles and Clothing; Adopts Resolution on Child Labour. (1996, November 01). Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_008077/lang--en/index.htm

This is a statement from an anti-sweatshop network based in Canada on the work they have done fighting for a living wage for apparel workers.

Maquila Solidarity Network. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.maquilasolidarity.org/en/ourwork/livingwage

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For my research, I tried to find a couple organizations/campaigns that oppose the working conditions of sweatshops.

The first one I found was a niche organization called the "Clean Clothes Campaign." As the name implies, their main focus is on the garment and sportswear industries. I thought it would be interesting to point out an organization that focuses on a particular industry concerning the sweatshop problem. It really demonstrates how developed sweatshops have become. By there being organizations dedicated to niche areas concerning sweatshops, you can really see how out of hand the whole thing has become. There should not be different categories for this topic!

The mission of the Clean Clothes Campaign is pretty simple. They want all basic human rights given to workers in the clothing industry. This includes: a suitable wage, safer working conditions, and to raise awareness of how bad sweatshop workers are treated.

Source: About us. (2018). Retrieved from https://cleanclothes.org/about

My second source is a campaign called "SweatFree Communities." This campaign really stuck out to me. Instead of just raising awareness of sweatshops, there is actually more action to be taken from this campaign. They believe you should only purchase goods that were made in humane conditions. This is in hopes of the current sweatshops not being able to afford staying up and running. Even though this is a good attempt, I don't think it will work in the long run. I don't think people will stop buying from brands, such as Nike, who heavily utilize sweatshops. They would have to get their campaign to a much higher scale.

Source:
SweatFree Communities. (2018). Retrieved from https://laborrights.org/our-work/sfc

Corrections and Additions:
Clean Clothes Campaign is actually a campaign not an organization. The campaign is ran by a global alliance made up of many different people. This includes trade unions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) covering a broad spectrum of perspectives and interests, such as women’s rights, consumer advocacy and poverty reduction.
SweatFree Communities is also a campaign ran by an organization called the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF). The ILRF is a human rights organization that advances dignity and justice for workers in the global economy. The ILRF is US based and operate out of Washington D.C.

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The first source I found talks about how consumers kind of disregard sweat shop conditions if they like the products. Many people consciously think of themselves as morale, even if they engage in unethical behavior by justifying the ethical burden away. In other words, people believe they are morale if the end justifies the means, and in this case, the end is if they like or want to purchase the product in question.

Many consumers try to avoid information about sweatshops altogether, so that their buying decision is a completely blind process. Those that may have no choice other to consider such, were found to justify sweatshop labor while considering purchasing a desirable pair of jeans, versus jeans that were undesirable. When consumer levels of motivation are high, they are statistically more likely to endorse sweatshop labor conditions with their purchases.

Furthermore, this journal includes a study done to identify buying behavior when sweatshops are introduced as a buying factor to consider. This could be useful down the road in constructing our website.

(Paharia, Vohs, & Deshpande, 2013)

The first source I found discusses the relationship between anti-sweat shop organizations and the conglomerations they assemble against, such as Nike. Trade Unions and NGOs have a loose organization that does a great job about raising awareness on their causes and missions, as well as organizing protests against companies. However, the loose structure also means they have been unable to offer larger corporations adequate incentives to respond in a positive manner to their proposals for labor condition improvements.

The article lists trade unions as strong actors in sweat shop movements including the International Trade Secretariat, International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation, and smaller unaffiliated unions that exist in industrializing nations. Th article also goes on to describe how these organizations interact with large corporations, as well as to raise awareness. The biggest argument is they exist, yet haven’t made any actual substantial leeway in drastically improving labor conditions.

(Connor, 2004)

Bibliography

Connor, T. (2004). Time to Scale up Cooperation? Trade Unions, NGOs, and the International Anti-Sweatshop Movement. Development in Practice, 61-70.

Paharia, N., Vohs, K. D., & Deshpande, R. (2013). Sweatshop labor is wrong unless the shoes are cute: Cognition can both help and hurt motivated reasoning. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 81-88.

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For this source, I found the organization United Students against Sweatshops (USAS) and the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC). This source examines how these two organizations have engaged in a strategic process to face new challenges when dealing with sweatshops. They went through the process of democratic deliberation where they shared past experiences. The organizations used the ideology of worker empowerment to note how social environment would create obstacles in the future, but also deciding what goals they wanted to achieve. Two periods of anti-sweatshop movement were focused on in this journal, the development of the WRC and the development of the Designated Suppliers Program which brought forth a new way for corporations to respect workers’ rights. The USAS is the nation’s largest youth led student labor campaign. They seek to hold companies accountable who exploit workers and communities around the globe. They educate other students as well as the general public about the growing dominance in the globalized economy. The WRC has been created by the USAS as a way to consult with other human rights groups and workers. This source is useful to the group as it is our nation’s largest organized human rights group. They are a powerful group who make a difference and seek to educate others, being students ourselves, it is an innovative way to tackle the problem.

Williams, M. S. (2016). Strategic innovation in US anti-sweatshop movement. Social Movement Studies, 15(3), 277–289. https://doi-org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.1080/14742837.2015.1082466

This source that I found examines the anti-sweatshop campaigns and the cross boarder activism between Hong Kong and mainland China. It examines how non-governmental agencies, student groups, and workers promote activism in Hong Kong and mainland China. The study demonstrates how these anti-sweatshop movements have mobilized the civil society. The groups used to protest around marketplaces, but they have now moved to productions sites, moving domestic actors from the margins into the center of the activism movement. Not only do the groups in Hong Kong and mainland China fight for rights in their respective geographical locations, they are working across the Hong Kong-Chinese boarder to integrate strengths and new tactics. The group also coordinates with overseas activists, hoping to bring relations between domestic and overseas activists into greater power. I chose this source because my first source outlines two organizations that operate from our own backyard on a local and national scale, yet, this source is around the globe in China. It demonstrates that other students from a global perspective feel the same way and are doing something about it.

Yi Xu, & Chris King-Chi Chan. (2018). Conductive Activism: Anti-Sweatshop Campaigns across Hong Kong and Mainland China. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 48(1), 88–112. https://doi-org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.1080/00472336.2017.1359651

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Hendriksz, V. (2018, April 18). The need for the Bangladesh Accord persists 5 years after Rana Plaza. Retrieved from https://fashionunited.in/news/business/the-need-for-the-bangladesh-accord-persists-5-years-after-rana-plaza/2018041817382

This article speaks of the importance for corporations to sign onto the 2018 Transition Accord. This Accord is the renewal of the Bangladesh Accord, which was created after the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh. This collapse had over a thousand casualties. The Bangladesh Accord was created to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again, requiring buildings to meet certain fire and safety requirements. Essentially another source on the Bangladesh Accord and its significance to many exploited factory workers.

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/nike-respect-garment-workers-in-indonesia?source=direct_link

This is an article from USAS detailing the recent Nike decision to pull their factories from Indonesia.

It seems as though we're moving towards talking about the Bangladesh Accord a lot. I'm going to provide some pictures and video of the protest GV's USAS did on the USAS Abercrombie and Fitch Day of Action. Basically, all over the country on the same day, a bunch of USAS locals went and made noise at A&F stores around the country. We did ours at Rivertown Mall. Its purpose was to pressure A&F into re-signing onto the Accord.

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Prentice, Rebecca, and Geert De Neve. "Five years after deadly factory fire, Bangladesh’s garment workers are still vulnerable." The Conversation, Nov. 2017, theconversation.com/five-years-after-deadly-factory-fire-bangladeshs-garment-workers-are-still-vulnerable-88027. Accessed 19 Sept. 2018.

This article was written by two professor’s that study anthropology. The article talks about the fire in the Tazreen Fashions factory in Bangladesh that killed at least 112 workers and the collapse of the Rana Plaza building just five months after that killed 1,134 garment workers and injured hundreds of survivors. It mentions that a safety pact was signed in Bangladesh after the fire by many global unions and more than 200 brands which tried to increase building inspections and the liability of the companies who garments are being made there. But five years later, and the pact did not seem to help at all. Also, there are many other factors to consider besides just unsafe building structures like smoke inhalation, chemical exposure, electrical exposure, musculoskeletal pain, stress, long hours, discrimination, and sexual harassment. This is important because even after a pact was made, incidents are still occurring and working conditions are still bad. More needs to be done than just making a pact with a few corporations, regulations need to be made on a global scale. Companies may pretend to do something about the exploitation of workers, but nothing seems to be changed years after the incidents.

"11 Facts About Sweatshops." Do Something, www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-sweatshops. Accessed 19 Sept. 2018.

Another popular research source I found included many facts and statistics about sweatshops which included sources to which they got their facts. The most surprising facts I found was a study showed that doubling the salary of sweatshop workers would only increase the consumer cost of an item by 1.8%, while consumers would be willing to pay 15% more to know a product did not come from a sweatshop. Other important statistics I found were were an estimated 168 million children ages 5-14 are forced to work and because women make up 85 to 90% of sweatshop workers, some employers force them to take birth control and routine pregnancy tests to avoid supporting maternity leave or providing appropriate health benefits. I think these statistics are important because it shows just how bad the working conditions can get. It also proves that bettering working conditions for people in third world countries would barely increase the price of goods in the U.S. which makes it more of a reason to fight against sweat shops.

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For my research, I wanted to define what sweatshops are and find some backing evidence that shows how horrendous the working conditions are. My first source comes from an organization called Green America. They are an organization that focuses on fair labor, social justice, improving the Earth’s environment, and more. They wrote an article answering the most asked questions about sweatshops. One of the questions asked, “What is a sweatshop and how bad is the problem?” The organization answered this question by stating:

“The US Department of Labor defines a sweatshop as any factory that violates two or more labor laws, such as those pertaining to wages and benefits, working hours, and child labor. Anti-sweatshop advocates go further to say that beyond following the letter of the law (which can be very weak in many countries that attract sweatshops), a factory must pay a living wage in safe working conditions, enforce reasonable work hours, provide for sick leave and maternity leave, and allow workers to organize to avoid being labeled a sweatshop.”

Source:

FAQs about the Sweatshop Problem. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.greenamerica.org/choose-fair-labor/tell-samsung/what-you-need-know-about-sweatshops

The second article I chose was just an example of how terrible the working conditions are. The article was published by an organization called War on Want. The organization’s mission statement says, “War on Want fights against the root causes of poverty and human rights violation, as part of the worldwide movement for global justice.” The quoted text below describes some of the conditions in Bangladesh sweatshops:

“The majority of garment workers in Bangladesh earn little more than the minimum wage, set at 3,000 taka a month (approximately £25), far below what is considered a living wage, calculated at 5,000 taka a month (approximately £45), which would be the minimum required to provide a family with shelter, food and education.

As well as earning a pittance, Bangladeshi factory workers face appalling conditions. Many are forced to work 14-16 hours a day seven days a week, with some workers finishing at 3am only to start again the same morning at 7.30am. On top of this, workers face unsafe, cramped and hazardous conditions which often lead to work injuries and factory fires. Since 1990, more than 400 workers have died and several thousand more have been wounded in 50 major factory fires. Sexual harassment and discrimination is widespread and many women workers have reported that the right to maternity leave is not upheld by employers. Factory management also take steps to prevent the formation of trade unions, a right protected under the Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining ILO Conventions, which Bangladesh ratified in 1972.”

Source:
Sweatshops in Bangladesh. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://waronwant.org/sweatshops-bangladesh

The second webpage may also be useful later. There are some facts on the page that show what is being done to improve the working conditions and rights of sweatshop employees.

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My first scholarly article is regarding the shoe industry and how they rely heavily on inexpensive “sweat shop” labor for their products. The garment and shoe industry has always been in the spotlight when it comes to sweat shop labor. This article discusses the movement against sweatshops and how it pertains to the shoe industry and what is currently being done at various levels, starting with grassroots campaigns against large corporations that resort to this cheap and inhumane labor. Later in the article, the author goes on to discuss how globalization plays a role in ushering corporations into seeking out the most inexpensive labor possible. The article uses Reebok as a case study and dissects what, where, and when Reebok went wrong and what the ramifications were for resorting to sweat shop working conditions.

Source: Reebok and the Global Footwear Sweatshop, Author: Bernard D’Mello. Retrieved from GVSU Library.

http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=lom_gvalleysu&id=GALE|A97740513&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon

The second article I looked discusses whether sweatshops are bad for Third World Workers. The article sets the stage by discusses the earlier anti-sweatshop movement and how some labor changes, mostly in the United States, improved, while some coalitions, such as the National Labor Committee pushed for international labor standard increases. The article publishes some appalling numbers; the hourly wage, in U.S Dollars, of apparel workers. What I thought was interesting was the “Economics of the Sweatshop” section, of which it discusses potential explanations for why the wages are so low; one being worker productivity doesn’t warrant higher wages. The data and graphs contained in this article are all valid and while somewhat outdated, may not have changed much. We could always look for recently published data, but the statistics would be good when strengthening our argument and discussing the problem.

Source: Are “Sweatshops” Bad for Third World Workers? Authors: Benjamin Powell and David Skarbek. Retrieved from Google Scholar.

https://www.aier.org/sites/default/files/Files/Documents/Research/3691/EEB%204.05%20-%20Sweatshops.pdf

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For my first scholarly source, I retrieved a case-study from PubMed examining two maquiladora enterprises in Mexico. Although the data was published in 1997, my goal was to find two sources, one from many years ago and one recent source, to demonstrate that “the problem” has not changed or been improved. Upon reading through the data, some of the stereotypes of a typical sweatshop caught my eye: the organization of production is authoritarian with a detailed division of labor, repetitive simple tasks, and piecework wages (Levenstein et al., 1997). The data demonstrated a difference between the two enterprises in regards to the quality of the work environment but I want to focus on the enterprise in Reynosa, Mexico. The survey demonstrated inequalities in salary, working hours, and safety training between the two communities. The study also reported symptoms from musculoskeletal disorders related to working conditions. Acute health effects compatible with chemical exposures were also identified and a prevalence of symptoms was correlated with increasing duration of exposure to ergonomic risk factors and qualitative chemical exposure indexes. This demonstrates that the problem has been on-going for many years and it occurs just outside our boarders. It demonstrates a timeline into my next source if we choose to go that route, but it also provides hope that while the two enterprises are alike, the one with horrible work standards and a poor work environment can be improved. Whenever something can be improved, there is a problem underlying beneath it.

Source: Levenstein, C., MacDonald, L., Moure-Eraso, R., Punnett, L., & Wilcox, M. (1997). Back to the future: Sweatshop conditions on the Mexico-U.S. border. II. Occupational health impact of maquiladora industrial activity. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9099362

For my second source, I went with something more to date. An article (peer-reviewed, also given with full text) that was published in 2014. It begins by defining what a sweatshops is and why they are, in fact, exploiting workers. “Sweatshop is a common term used to refer to factories that typically produce apparel; that have very low wages by modern U.S. standards, long working hours, and unsafe or unhealthy working conditions; that often don't obey labor laws; and that would generally be considered unpleasant places to work by most citizens in wealthy countries” (Powell, 2014, p. 109). It is important to note that they do not obey labor laws as this allows them exploit their workers, it also helps explain why companies seek out less-developed nations with lax taxes and laws. “Weave rooms were hazardous work environments. Life threatening accidents and long term health disabilities were common by-products of employment in the textile mills. Cotton dust caused lung and respiratory diseases. The noise was deafening and impaired hearing. The lighting was poor, the hours long, the work tedious, and the machinery and belting dangerous” (Powell, 2014, p. 113). From the time span of 1997 to 2014, the working conditions are still on-going and hazardous. This demonstrates to the group that the problem still exists, as well as there is a clear problem at hand. It goes on to give definitions and examples of how sweatshops exploit workers, providing context for readers and viewers.

Source: POWELL, B. (2014). Meet the Old Sweatshops. Independent Review, 19(1), 109-122.

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The social movement that I am most interested in is the Labor Movement. I am a part of an organization called United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS). We work with sweatshop workers around the world to collectively bargain against corporations that are exploiting the workers for profit. The Labor Movement is widespread, and is the reason that we have a minimum wage, paid time off, weekends, and so on. I think that this is a good movement to discuss because it is something that affects us directly as college students soon to enter the workforce. If we are to focus on a single campaign, I would suggest we use USAS's Nike 2.0 campaign, which will be a campaign on Grand Valley's campus this year. This campaign is regarding Nike's decision to pull their factories out of Indonesia. This will leave 30,000 garment workers without a livelihood, after Nike's empire was built on their labor.

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Workers are fighting for their fair share, job security, and dignity. Join us. WHAT TO DO
After fifty years of Nike building their empire on the backs of Indonesian garment workers, Nike is pulling all apparel production from the country. Over 30,000 garment workers sewing for OUR universities here in the U.S. are at risk of losing their livelihoods! The apparel industry is rife with sweatshop abuses, and the strongest way for workers to fight these abuses is to form a union. For decades, our union partners in Indonesia have fought for a voice at the table, steady work, and high pay. And now, Nike is simply shutting down the factories that have battled long and hard for workers' rights. The majority of the workers sewing our apparel are women, and Nikes actions reflect a dangerous pattern of negligence to women in their supply chain.
Sign and share the petition here!
Are you a college student? Does your university contract with Nike? Contact email hidden; JavaScript is required t o get involved in the national campaign!

Any donation to USAS goes directly to grassroots student organizing efforts confronting corporate power. Please support our work today!

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Nike, Respect Garment Workers in Indonesia!

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United Students Against Sweatshops is a national student labor organization fighting for workers' rights with locals on over 150 campuses.

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The social movement I looked into is the Equal Justice Initiative. The main focus of this group is to challenge poverty and racial injustice and advocate for equal treatment in the criminal justice system. I have been seeing more and more stories about the disadvantage that people have when in poverty and unfair trials due to race which is why I think it is a good movement to discuss. They also talk about many other important issues like children getting sentenced life in prison without parole, underage prosecution, unreliable convictions, excessive punishment, presumption of guilt, and resistance to civil rights. I think this is a very serious issue in the United States which makes it a good topic to address!

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I would like to meet with your group in person or via collaborate some time next week. I am available Tuesday thru Friday. Please let me know your availability and we'll work something out.-Jeff

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Institutions are becoming more concerned with human rights within America, but also around the globe. We have seen many domestic social movements in America regarding police violence that I thought it may be a good topic to tackle. Now, whether these movements are winning protection for oppressed or marginalized people is something we would have to address, but many people are on the fence when it comes to "police violence." And the US is not the only country with such issue: Zimbabwe, Malaysia, India, Russia, Thailand, Jordan, Yemen, Palestine, Nepal, Syria and the list goes on.
Zachary S. Baker

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(Washington, DC) - Members of the international diamond monitoring body known as the Kimberley Process (KP) should press to address human rights abuses in its diamond fields. They should also reform the KP certification scheme to address human rights violations.

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(Washington, DC) - Members of the international diamond monitoring body known as the Kimberley Process (KP) should press to address human rights abuses in its diamond fields. They should also reform the KP certification scheme to address human rights violations.