Sweatshops & Responsible Purchasing in Today’s Global Economy - A Catholic Perspective

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

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.

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

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

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 don’t make

quotas– Limited/monitored bathroom breaks– Sub poverty wages or worse.

It’s 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

Sweatshops in the Dominican Republic

• We’ve visited several “sweatshops” in the Dominican Republic over the past couple years with US corporation officials, factory management and union representatives…

Here’s what we found…

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/month…$375/month

Catholic Social Teaching, the Global Economy, &

Sweatshops

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.

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)

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)

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.

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)

What’s Being Done About This?

• Government Actions

• Business Reforms

• Actions of the Church

• Voice of the Consumer

What’s 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

What’s 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

“Sweat Free” or “Clean Clothes”Responsible 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

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. Mary’s, Georgetown, Harvard…)

• Public School Districts– Los Angeles – Minneapolis – New York– Milwaukee

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

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.

What You Can Do

• You don’t 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 can’t find any, let your store clerk know that you are interested in sweatfree/fair trade products.

• Remember, business responds to consumer demand.

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 them…Social 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