A discussion with Cristina Robles, a union leader visiting from the Dominican Republic, on organizing in the global economy
Cristina Robles is an organizer with the Fedotrazonas union federation in the Dominican Republic. She worked in the garment industry for four years. It was not unusual for workers at her factory to faint from the heat and become nauseated from chemical exposure.
To help bring change to the factory floor, Cristina decided to form a union, but was harassed and eventually fired for standing up for her rights. Cristina didn't give up: now she is a lead organizer in the campaign to win a collective bargaining agreement at a factory owned by Gildan. Gildan is one of the largest suppliers of blank t-shirts in the world.
Cristina also brings the story of Fedotrazonas' victory in creating a unionized factory in the village of Altagracia, Dominican Republic. Alta Gracia is a ground-breaking new model for the global economy; workers earn a living wage -- over three times the local minimum wage -- at this thriving factory which is helping eradicate poverty in the community.
This bilingual event is sponsored by International Labor Rights Forum, Nosotras, Students for Social Justice and Institutional Change (SSJIC), SweatFree Communities, and WMass Jobs with Justice.