determination.

the students, professors, and community leaders at the colorado university are one hardy bunch.... . . .... .. .. . . . here at 'sc, we have yet to affiliate with the wrc, but it's no doubt inspiring that people are still willing to go all out for something they believe in.

Still Going

By PAULA PANT Colorado Daily Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006 9:41 PM MDT

Three more people joined the Coalition Against Sweatshop Abuses (CASA) hunger strike today, as protest organizers and CU administration officials slowly inched closer to a resolution.

A dozen students yesterday were on Day 14 of a hunger strike aimed at pressuring CU to adopt the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP). Under DSP guidelines, CU apparel must be made by companies that contract 25 percent of their workforce from factories where workers have a living wage and collective bargaining ability.
...
Virginia Cutshall and Tim Hillman, both of whom haven't eaten in two weeks, looked pale and sickly. Cutshall's normally bright eyes appeared sunken deeper into her face and were marred by a dark reddish hue. Hillman's cheeks, usually thin and well-defined, now appeared gaunt, and the color had drained from his face.

Yet both spoke yesterday's rally with an unwavering passion.

“I will not eat,” Hillman boomed through a microphone, “until this University stands up and respects the basic rights of workers everywhere.”

art. theater. sweatshops. tomorrow at noon.

Hey all,

Here are the details on tomorrow's event:

What: Sweatshop Theatre
Who: Brent Blair's "Theater in the Community" class
and the Student Coaliton Against Labor Exploitation (SCALE)
When: Tomorrow: 04/27, 12-1pm.
Where: McCarthy Quad (a reserved, protected space and event)

Professor Blair's class of 15-20 members will be putting on a presentation of "Sweatshop Theatre." The performers will enact the conversion of people all throughout the world into sweatshop workers; particularly those producing our own USC apparel. They will move from the four corners of the quad with large pieces of cardinal and gold fabric and then proceed to move into the action of sewing.Throughout the performances, which will repeat at intervals of about 15-20 minutes, the Student Coalition Against Labor Exploitation WILL BE PRESENT to answer any questions people might have and engage in a dialogue surrounding these issues. There will be poster boards up on the field which will challenge students to think about the conditions in which their clothing is made.

ps: also, put the word out on your listserves!
pps: any budding photographers out there wanna pick this one up?
ppps: mccarthy quad is the one right between leavey library and doheny, flanked by VKC and the parking structure.

-- d romero

berkeley residents,

-- postpone the piña colada!
table that tequila!
maybe just miss that margarita entirely (i know; i'm hilarious - straightedge for life!) and come out for a benefit event:

Sweatshop Watch presents
The Cinco de Mayo
Sweatfree Berkeley Kickoff
& Just Garments Benefit

Friday, May 5th, 2006 7:00pm
Berkeley Fellowship Unitarian Universalists Hall
1924 Cedar St. @ Bonita Ave. in Berkeley (map)

Join Global Exchange and the Sweatfree Berkeley Coalition to make Berkeley Sweatfree, so that no goods purchased by the city government are made in sweatshops. Plus! Support the only worker owned, unionized factory in El Salvador, Just Garments.

$10-$25 sliding scale. No one turned away for lack of funds.
All ages welcome. Wheelchair accessible.

**Speakers!
Elizabeth (Betita) Martinez, Chicana civil rights activist, author, and educator
Claudia Huiza, Just Garments affiliate
Berkeley City Council Members
**Food, Local Brew (<-- i don't condone this) and Live Music!
By The Genie, Sensory Motor, and Valerie Orth
**Sneak Preview of Documentary, "Producing Just Garments"
**Silent Art AuctionArt by Local Artists

Why is it so important to attend this event?

Just Garments has demonstrated that maquila factories can be unionized, dignified, and controlled by workers in the global economy. Currently Just Garments' biggest challenge is their reliance on subcontracts which do not provide them enough capital to purchase their own raw materials for independent production. They are working hard to make this transition but are now in debt and need our help to pay their workers and maintain electricity in their factory. In order to support the workers, we can help with a financial contribution and by pressuring our local cities to not purchase goods made in sweatshops! Sweatfree Berkeley is underway. On April 18, the City Council unanimously approved to have the Commissions on Labor, Peace and Justice, and Public Works develop a Sweatfree Ordinance. Now we need to ensure the language of the proposed law is not watered down and that the City Council allocates funding for an independent, non-profit monitor. So, come join us in support our work to make Berkeley Sweatfree and Just Garments survive! Visit just garments and global exchange's sweatfree bay area for more info.

Event Sponsored by: Committee in Solidarity With the People of El Salvador and Global Exchange


Directions
By BART: get off at Downtown Berkeley BART, head N. on Shattuck, cross Univeristy Ave., walk 6 more blocks until you hit Cedar, take a left and walk 3 more blocks to Cedar St. and Bonita Ave. The hall is on your left at the corner of Bonita.

By Car, take Interstate 80, get of at University Ave. Exit. Take University east towards campus up to Martin Luther King Way. Left on MLK, drive 6 blocks until you reach Cedar. Take a right on Cedar and Park. The hall is one block up from MLK Way and Bonita Ave.

jack white of the white stripes makes ad for coca-cola

so the indie darlings of a few years ago are now hocking coke. it wasn't enough that kerouac and ginsberg sold khakis for gap, now the whites go and conspire with coke.

contact them and let them know you think they can do better. remind them that coke and the image that white is selling, are masking the fact that there have been multiple murders and an undocumented number of attempted murders of labor organizers and union members and affliiates.

click here for contact info (flash -- or something -- required)

the issues aren't just popping up in colombia; it's india, china, guatemala -- all over the place. except, ironically, here, because despite being this all-american icon, it's simply not "economical" to produce coke (or much of anything for that matter) here in the united states. that said, when human rights violations happen somewhere else, we know about them, and still do nothing, that's on us. today's labor struggles and efforts towards achieving international solidarity and economic justice run parallel to efforts of decades past, and unless we make a serious commitment to hold transnationals accountable for behavior conducted abroad, there's little hope for us or the world.

for an in depth, well-researched history of the highs and lows of coke's global, economic expansion, as well as coke and world culture, pick up a copy of Mark Pendergrast's For God, Country, and Coca-Cola (his description). if you're interested in a piece that focuses specifically on the acusations raised in colombia, try lesley gill's report to the anthropological human rights committee, "labor and human rights: 'the real thing' in colombia."

labor and borders; migrants and remittances

last week, the LA Times ran a really fantastic four-part series called "the new foreign aid." for a more personal look at what a little help from a family member living abroad -- legally or illegally, both scenarios are discussed -- can do, definitely give it a read. an interesting graph (image) reveals that remittances provide more assitance to needy families in impoverished, wartorn, underdeveloped countries than FDI and aid combined.
the stories are touching, the photographs are beautiful. and if you don't have the time to read the article, at least give the narrated slide shows a chance.

oh, and if you need a little added incentive, one of the featured male foreign workers wears a usc hat. (image, top right)

Workers' Memorial Day: Friday, April 28th

USC SCALE and SweatshopWatch, Los Angeles encourage you to come out for Workers Memorial Day this coming Friday.

Join the Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (SoCalCOSH) and UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program (LOSH) to pay tribute to workers who have suffered fatal injuries in California. Come learn about strategies being used to prevent / reduce workplace injuries from speakers at the formal program. Interact with advocates and take resources back to your constituents during the Information Exchange from 12 to 1 pm and 3 to 4 pm. Lunch & Spanish translation will be provided.

Remember to RSVP!

WORKERS' MEMORIAL DAY 2006
Friday, April 28, 2006
12 pm to 4 pm

UCLA Downtown Labor Center
675 S. Park View St., Los Angeles 90057
$5 parking available next door
Please RSVP to socalcosh@iir.ucla.edu | (310) 825-0298

SPEAKERS CONFIRMED:
Assemblymember Paul Koretz, 42nd District
Maria Elena Durazo, Interim Secretary-Treasurer, LA County Federation of Labor (Invited)
Kent Wong, Director, UCLA Labor Center
Linda Delp, Director, UCLA Labor Occupational Safety & Health Program
Charles Burks, President, SoCalCOSH

Representatives will share health & safety campaigns from:
Center for Rural Legal Assistance, Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates, UNAC/UHCP AFSCME and UNITE-HERE Local 11

AGENDA:
12 pm - 1 pm: Information Exchange & Reception (lunch)
1 pm - 3 pm: Formal Program
3 pm - 4 pm: Information Exchange & Resource Tables

THE INFORMATION EXCHANGE WILL HAVE RESOURCES ON:
Cal/OSHA, environmental health, health services, local health & safety campaigns, policy & legislation, occupational health & education, repetitive stress injuries & support, workers compensation and young workers.

EVENT CO-HOSTED BY:
Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health
(SoCalCOSH) and UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program (LOSH)

ENDORSED BY:
Coalition for Clean Air, Garment Worker Center, Gordon, Edelstein, Krepack, Grant, Felton & Goldstein, Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California(IDEPSCA), L.A. Trade Tech College, Labor Center Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Levy, Stern, & Ford Personal Injury Law, Los Angeles Repetitive Strain Injury Support Group, National Postal Mail Handlers Union #303, Occupational Health Branch of California Department of Health Services, SEIU 347, Sweatshop Watch, UCLA Center for Labor Research & Education, UNAC/UHCP, AFSCME, Voters Injured at Work, WORKSAFE!

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
SoCalCOSH: socalcosh@iir.ucla.edu | (310) 825-0298

Sweatshop Watch
1250 S. Los Angeles St. Suite 212
Los Angeles, California 90015
United States

Labor, Immigration, and American Apparel

In today's Los Angeles Times you will find an article highlighting the immigration policy view of American Apparel founder and Sr. Partner, Dov Charney. A Canadian immigrant himself, and employer of easily hundreds -- maybe 1000s? -- of immigrants, he no doubt has an opinion. American Apparel has its issues -- namely aggressive T&A ads (photo!) and several serious sexual harrassment/hostile work environment lawsuits -- but American Apparel remains a company that is providing, ON AVERAGE, $12/hr on its sewing floor. A stand out, to say the least.

Here are some highlights:

"My experience is that they're making a great contribution to the economy. They're very interested in integrating themselves. They're not trying to rip off anybody. No one's trying to get out of paying any taxes. Everybody's ready to do the right thing. The night of Sept. 11, in the neighborhoods in which I work and in which I drove home and throughout the Latino neighborhoods where workers work, there were people who didn't speak very good English waving American flags on Sunset [Boulevard]. Doesn't matter what the documents say, they're American workers. They're a fundamental part of our city."

The speaker is Dov Charney, 37, the founder and senior partner of American Apparel Inc., a manufacturer of youth-oriented garb with 125 retail stores, including 76 in the United States, and more than $200 million in annual sales. American's downtown factory is the largest single garment plant in the nation, employing 3,800 workers, of whom 90% are Latino...He says he's planning to hire buses to transport 2,500 workers to downtown rallies on behalf of labor and sound immigration policies on May 1...

"My vision would be a very liberal immigration policy," he told me this week. "I think we have to have a wholesale amnesty, one shot. I don't believe in any restrictions on exit or entry to the United States. 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall,' Give people the opportunity to work...

"--immigration has to be understood as a good thing...I just see positive: people making a contribution to society. I have Chinese immigrants working here, Canadian immigrants, I have Mexican immigrants, Guatemalan, Korean, Japanese. One of the secrets to American Apparel is that very few of us are American-born. But that's what makes us an American company. Diversity is strength..."

"I realize nobody's able to speak candidly on these issues," he says. That applies directly to his own industry, which unlike the agricultural sector, has never stood on the political frontlines to say that it depends for labor on undocumented workers. "No one really wants to come forth and be honest."

Charney has some theories about the apparel industry's shyness. One is that its workforce is more visible to the community than are farmworkers, so broadcasting their lack of documentation makes Americans more sensitive about their presence. "Apparel is in your city. It's close to home. Agriculture is in the fields."

He also suggests that apparel companies believe it would be a marketing faux pas to remind buyers that their stylish clothing is manufactured by a distinctly declasse labor force not at all like them. "Apparel is supposed to be sexy and fun. Clothing is linked to the leisure culture..."

you can read the article in its entirety -- at least for a little while... -- here.

2 Events -- Thurs, April 20

TOMORROW April 20th, there will be two events to check out:

Living Diagram for Darfur: 11-1pm. We need your help! We are asking students to line the grassy median along trousdale wearing colored shirts to represent those that have died, those displaced, and those in power. This event is meant to provide a visual of the numbers of people killed and displaced by the Genocide in Darfur. To be effective we need as many people as possible to take part. Talk to your friends classmates and see if they can come and help out. usc.stand@gmail.com

USC UNICEF will screen Rx for Survival: Disease Warriors, narrated by Brad Pitt, on Thursday, April 20 at 6PM in SGM101.
Rx for Survival examines critical health issues that pertain to students pursuing medical, pharmaceutical, or science careers. The film addresses the tragic reality of so many children who are not provided with the fundamental necessities to ensure good health, such as vaccinations, clean water, food, and sanitation.

Invisible Children Screening: THIS Friday, April 21st, 6:00PM. USC Norris Cinema Theatre. If you missed it the 1st time, you definitely need to come Friday.

coke protest in delaware: wednesday, april 19th

Sorry. I took down the post because I couldn't figure out formatting and accidentally deleted it instead of republishing it. Due to popular demand from a daily reader, it is now back up. Cardinal Martini, if you would like the number of someone you can contact once you're in Delaware, don't be hesitant to ask.


Join the international movement for justice and human rights against The Coca-Cola Company for murder, torture, pollution, theft, and union-busting throughout the world! Come celebrate our momentum and demand Coke end its deceit and violence in front of their very own shareholders.

Coke Is On The Ropes - Help Us Deliver the Final Blows!

Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Hotel Du Pont on 11th and Market Streets, Wilmington, DE 19801
9:30am: Convergence, Press, & Rally (plus plans we don't want Big Beverage to know)

We have reached a turning point in the campaign to hold Coke accountable for human rights violations in Colombia as well as India, Turkey, Indonesia, and Guatemala. Coke's arrogance and blatant negligence have only expanded the campaign and fueled student militancy on campus - victory is near and we need your support!

If you decide to head out - you can get reimbursed for your travel costs.

students at BERKELEY arrested for non-violent demonstration

really loud bells should be going off in everyone's heads if kids at berkeley are getting arrested for protests. if they're being arrested up there, we'll probably be bludgeoned to death here at usc....


Tuesday, 11 April, 18 students at the University of California-Berkeley were arrested for participating in a non-violent civil disobedience demanding that their university adopt a policy ensuring that university apparel and uniforms are produced in factories in which workers are represented by a democratic union and earn a living wage.

If you have a moment, please consider sending a message to the President of the University, Robert Dynes, and Chancellor Birgeneau urging them to refrain from further disciplinary moves, be it university or police action, against these and other students. Students have a right to speak their minds and have their voices heard in peaceful protest, and our universities must understand that we will not tolerate any abridgement of these rights.

More related stories:
- 18 sweatshop protesters arrested in sit-in at California Hall, UC Berkeley
- Living wage sit-in results in one arrest: Police arrest Prof. Wende E. Marshall; students plan to continue sit-in indefinately, University of Virginia
- 10 Students Cited for Trespasssing, UC Riverside


Potential mail, email, or fax text:

Dear ______________,

I am extemely disappointed to hear that, instead of entering into a dialogue with students engaged in a peaceful civil disobedience, the university has attempted to silence their voices through police intimidation. The University of California, as one of the leading public institutions in the world, has an obligation to set an example for the rest of the university community to follow. By choosing to arrest students for taking a principled stand on an issue that, to be quite honest, the university ought to have resolved long ago, the University of California is sending the message that they will stop at nothing, even if it means resorting to police intimidation, to silence the voices of its students. I would strongly urge the University of California, for its own sake, to ensure that these students are immediately released, that all charges are dropped, and that there is no further action taken against any of the students in question. The community at large takes the University of California's actions so far to be a direct assault on our most basic right to free speech, and will not stand idly by while the university punishes students for doing what is right.

If you prefer to call in, here is a potential script:

Hello, my name is ____________ and I am a _______________ at the University of ______________. The University of California, by arresting students for engaging in a peaceful civil disobedience aimed at ensuring the protection of workers' rights, has shamefully attempted to silence the voices of students through police intimidation. I am appalled that the university would resort to such tactics, and demand that all students be released, that all charges be dropped, that no further disciplinary action be taken, and that the demands of the students be met immediately. What's at stake: Students at the University of California have, for the past six months, been pressuring their university to adopt the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP). This policy, once adopted, woud ensure that university apparel and uniforms were produced in factories in which workers are represented by a democratic union and earn a living wage. Unfortunately, even though all possible avenues have been pursued, the university has, up until now, refused to make a good faith effort towards meeting these demands. Students, therefore, were given no choice but to engage in a civil disobedience aimed at persuading the university to adopt a policy that, clearly, was not going to be accepted through any other means. Instead of listening to the demands of students, however, the University of California has responded by arresting students engaged in a non-violent sit-in in the office of their chancellor and threatening them with criminal and academic charges. This attempt to use police and university intimidation to silence the voices of students is unacceptable, and threatens the right of dissent upon which efforts aimed at creating social change depend. We as a community cannot stand idly by and allow institutions like the University of California to use such means to put down dissent. The students participating in this sit-in must immediately be released, all charges must be dropped, the university must committ to not pursuing any form of disciplinary action, and the Designated Suppliers Program must be adopted immediately.

Robert Dynes, President of the University of California
Phone number: 510-987-9074
Fax number: 510-987-9086
Email: Robert.dynes@ucop.edu

Chancellor France Cordova at UC Riverside: 951-827-5201
email: france.cordova@ucr.edu
fax: 951-827-3866

Chancellor Robert Birgeneau at UC Berkeley: 510-642-7464
email: chancellor@berkeley.edu
fax: 510-643-5499

UCR Protest

David and I headed over to UC Riverside today for the Sweat-free protest. We were there for about three hours - when we first got there, there were near 300 people protesting; around 4 it dwindled to 50. There were some UCSD kids there too and it is always exciting to see all of us coming out to remind ourselves that it is one cause that we really are all fighting for.

It was fun brainstorming some sort of future action. It is going to involve a concert, pizza, and elephants.

2 upcoming events

I. Candlelight Vigil and Procession to Support a Fair Immigration Policy (on 4/10/06 in Los Angeles)

II. Urge Governor Schwarzenegger to join the Coalition for Sweat-free Procurement and Workers Rights

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
I. CANDLELIGHT VIGIL & PROCESSION (4/10/06)

WHEN: Monday, April 10 @ 5 PM
WHERE: La Placita Church, 535 N Main St
Los Angeles, CA
(Procession to Fletcher Brown Square)

APRIL 10 is a national day of action to stop anti-immigrant legislation from becoming law and to pass real, comprehensive immigration reform that provides a clear path to citizenship, unites families, and ensures workplace and civil rights protections for all. see National Immigrant Day of Justice.

For information on the Los Angeles Candlelight Vigil & Procession, contact:
* Elda Martinez, CARECEN,(213) 385-7800x127, emartinez-at-carecen-la.org [Spanish, English]
* Xiomara Corpeno, CHIRLA,(213) 201-4451, xcorpeno-at-chirla.org [Spanish, English]
** Su Yon Yi, NAKASEC, (323) 937-3703, syi-at-nakasec.org [English]
** Sungpyo Ma, KRC, (323) 937-3718, sungpyo-at-krcla.org [Korean, English]

Co-sponsored by: ACLU of Southern California, CARECEN, CHIRLA, CLUE, Colombian-American Citizens in Action, Dolores Mission, IDEPSCA, Korean Resource Center, LA Leadership Academy, NAKASEC, SEIU 1877, SEIU 434B, Southern California District Council of Laborers, Sweatshop Watch, and UNITE HERE! Local 11.

II. URGE GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER TO JOIN COALITION FOR SWEAT-FREE PROCUREMENT AND WORKERS RIGHTS

California passed SB 578 in October 2003 to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to buy goods made in sweatshops. Sweatshop Watch, along with many allies around the state, are urging Governor Schwarzenegger to join the newly forming Governor Coalition for Sweat-free Procurement and Workers Rights. The Coalition would explore strategies such as pooling states' resources for more cost-effective independent monitoring, and establishing a purchasing consortium to allow states to leverage purchasing power in support of sweat-free supplier factories.

Learn how you can urge Governor Schwarzenegger to join this Coalition, which could provide a much-needed vehicle for enforcing our state sweatfree procurement law more effectively.

sweatshop fashion show

the show was a huge success and was written up in the daily trojan.

Students Strut for Labor Rights
Michael S. Stapleton
Issue date: 3/31/06

In front of Tommy Trojan Thursday, a group of 16 student models strutted, swaggered and sometimes even sashayed their ways down the catwalk.

This was no ordinary fashion show, though. The Student Coalition Against Labor Exploitation sponsored the event to demonstrate its concern about the USC apparel being sold in the campus bookstore. As students made their way down the catwalk clad in USC apparel, David Romero, the emcee of the event, could be heard over a microphone educating the audience about sweatshop labor.

"Workers that make these clothes don't even earn a living wage," Romero said. "In Mexico, laborers often work for $4.50 a day, and even though the law prohibits their employers from forcing them to work more than eight hours per day, they are often forced to work 10 or 12 hours per day.

"The USC Pertusati Bookstore currently sells clothing manufactured by Nike, Russell Athletic, DW Authentic and Wide World Sportswear, among others. SCALE says that these corporations are utilizing sweatshop labor to produce the clothing found on campus.

"We chose to put on a fashion show to educate students about sweatshop labor and garner a bigger student base. This show is accessible to everybody, and we want a reaction from the spectators. Hopefully we'll pique people's interest," said Teresa Cheng, a freshman majoring in political science, who organized the event.The fashion show incited supportive reactions from the audience.

"People need to hear about what's really going on, and so many people aren't aware of the exploitation that's occurring. The show brought a crowd, even if people heard only a little, they still heard it," said Jasmine Mencias, a junior majoring in theater, who attended the event.

SCALE sent a letter recently to President Steven B. Sample asking him to make USC a member of the Workers' Rights Consortium, a national organization advocating better factory labor conditions. "The University of Southern California may be selling products made under sweatshop labor conditions; which could include the use of child labor, forced labor, inhumane working conditions, physical and verbal abuse, or possibly worse," the letter reads.

At one point during the show, a group of students gathered in front of the runway chanted slogans promoting SCALE's efforts. "Set an example, President Sample!" shouted some in the crowd. "USC plus WRC equals sweat free!" said others. The students who organized the show also garnered recognition from Paul Adler, a professor at the Marshall School of Business, and Curtis Marez, a professor from the USC School of Cinema-Television. Adler and Marez met with students on Thursday night in the United University Church to view short films documenting sweatshop abuse, followed by a discussion with the professors.

USC is a member of the Fair Labor Association, which SCALE says has serious shortcomings that joining the Workers' Rights Consortium would remedy. There are 81 universities in the United States that are members of both the Workers' Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association.In their letter to Sample, members of SCALE urge the president to take notice of USC's alleged support of companies that use sweatshop labor and point out USC's powerful position to support human rights.

"Sweatshop labor is needless suffering," SCALE members wrote in the letter, "and USC is in a unique position to bring about a position change."

way to go everybody!