Event ends: February 17, 2012 – 3:00 pm
On Friday, February 17 @ 1:00 p.m., representatives from a unionized factory in Alta Gracia are visiting Madison to speak about the triumph of apparel workers to earn a living wage equal to three times the Dominican Republic’s minimum wage and still be a viable, profitable and sustainable company. This represents a purchasing choice for many – to choose apparel made in decent, fair and humane working conditions, consistent with Madison General Ordinance 4.25, Procurement of Items of Apparel, that “recognizes a public interest in avoiding purchasing from vendors and contractors who obtain goods that originate in sweatshops.”
You are invited to hear these workers’ stories and presentations from various community organizations, as well as learn about compliance with MGO 4.25 and explore your options when purchasing uniforms for your agencies. Read additional information about visitors below.
Here's some additional information about the visitors:
YENNY PEREZ is a single working mother who lives in Villa Altagracia, Dominican Republic. In 2003 she was fired from her job at BJ&B factory-- a leading supplier of logo caps to U.S. universities and athletic teams -- when she stood up for her right to form a union, after working long hours for many years for low pay. Following the lay-off, organizing at the factory, coupled with student activism in the US, lead to recognition of the workers' union and the signing of a collective bargaining agreement. However, the brands sourcing from the factory gradually decreased their orders until the factory closed in 2007. Now Yenny works at Alta Gracia, a unionized factory that opened in 2010.
Garment workers at Alta Gracia earn a living wage -- more than three times the Dominican minimum wage -- and the factory is monitored by the independent labor rights watchdog, the Worker Rights Consortium. Alta Gracia supplies logo clothing sold in bookstores at 350 universities and custom-imprinted logo tees are available via the distributor Ethix Merch [1]. Click here to learn more about Alta Gracia and watch a video of Yenny Perez. [2]
EVANGELINA ARGUETA started sewing clothing for export to the United States in a Honduran sweatshop when she was 15 years old. After nine years of working in harsh conditions for poverty wages, she was fired in a mass lay-off. Her name was included on a "blacklist" of known union supporters and she was unable to secure employment at any other factory.
Now Evangelina works for the Honduran General Workers' Confederation (CGT). Recently she helped workers at the Jerzees Nuevo Dia factory in Honduras reach an unprecedented collective bargaining contract with Russell Athletic. This follows the re-opening of the Jerzees Nuevo Dia factory and the rehiring of all formerly laid-off workers whose factory Russell Athletic had previously shut down in retaliation to worker organizing. A groundbreaking aspect in the agreement signed by the union and Russell stipulates that Russell will agree to third-party facilitated freedom of association trainings in all their other Honduran plants. Russell and its parent company Fruit of the Loom are the single largest private employer in the country of Honduras.