The Child Labor Education and Action Project organized a statewide
CHILD LABOR AWARENESS DAY (CLAD) in Vermont schools – from the elementary to college level.

The goal for the day was to have every student in the state learning, thinking and talking about child labor.

The purpose was to generate concern for the plight of children and to stimulate political action
to help improve the lives of those most vulnerable citizens of the world, our children.

A day dedicated to child labor has NEVER been attempted before, so we are looking for all the help we can get. If you don't have time but know of another student or teacher who would be interested, please let us know. We are trying to establish contacts at every school, to create a network to spread awareness and social change. Change starts when you educate people. With your help this could be a day in history. It could become as well-known as Black History Month and spread to other states across the nation. Please respond to us as soon as possible so we can send you more information and materials.

Student group proposes day of child labor awareness

By MICHAEL NEARY
Reformer Staff
20 April 2003

BRATTLEBORO -- A student group dedicated to disseminating information about child labor asked Vermont educators Wednesday to devote March 26 to combating the exploitation of children in the workplace.

Several members of the Brattleboro Union High School group, their faculty moderators and Windham Southeast Superintendent Ronald Stahley held a press conference Wednesday afternoon at the high school to announce the plan.

"We feel that a lot of people don't know what child labor is," said senior Lizzie Krasner. "Many children are paid below the poverty line."

The group called for a Child Labor Awareness Day, both at the press conference and in a letter sent to various Vermont teachers.

The letter documents 250 million children in the world -- including "tens of thousands" in the United States -- who face abusive work environments. The letter suggests that teachers bring in speakers about the issue, discuss child labor in classes and prompt students to write to a local newspaper.

At the press conference, students discussed the plan and grappled with the complex choices faced by those who want to combat child labor.

"It's hard to buy clothing that's not made at least in part by child labor," explained junior Caitlin Holt.

Lauren Breunig, a junior, elaborated on the point in an opening statement. Citing a 2002 New York Times article, she said clothing made in "American territories" overseas, where children work far below the minimum wage, can bear the "Made in the USA" label.

Other students noted the ambiguous results of avoiding certain products.

"We're not in favor of boycotting, of shutting down the factories" said Krasner.

She recalled a factory shutdown in Bangladesh that stopped children from working, but also effectively cut off their families' incomes. Krasner instead recommended letter-writing campaigns and other forms of political activity to pressure companies to pay reasonable wages.

In response to a question, Krasner acknowledged that the choice for some children is between factory work and prostitution.

"They're both forms of child labor," she said. Later she added, "That's a really hard place to be."

Marcia LoMonaco, a student who helped organize the press conference, noted that she had traveled to Guatemala and observed the connection between the desire for education and child labor. The earnings of a family -- which included the intense field labor of their children -- were necessary to pay for education.

Stahley, who sat on the panel with the students, noted the difficulty of achieving quick, tangible results, but praised the organization for sparking students to begin careers of civic work.

"The thing that's really compelling to me is that when students get involved in these issues, it really changes their lives," he said.

After beginning in 1998, CLEA has flourished with the help of a U.S. Department of Education grant which BUHS obtained with the help of the School for International Training, according to teacher Harrington "Tim" Kipp.

"When it started it was a regular student club," he said.

He noted that grant money had allowed the group to bring in speakers, attend conferences and create curricula or lesson plans that teachers could incorporate into a variety of classes.

Activist raps child labor

By MICHAEL NEARY
Reformer Staff
27 March 2003

BRATTLEBORO -- A prominent national activist for children's rights delivered a relentless exposé of child labor abuses by U.S. companies operating factories around the world Wednesday afternoon, as he spoke to a packed BUHS crowd of 100 strong gathered in the school's learning center.

Charles Kernaghan, the executive director of the National Labor Committee, addressed the group after a morning photo presentation about child labor from journalist Sarah Bachman. The events marked the first Child Labor Awareness Day (CLAD) -- a day announced by the Child Labor Education and Action project (CLEA) last week.

The group was formed several years ago, in cooperation between the School for International Training and Brattleboro Union High School.

The National Labor Committee, a nonprofit organization that investigates labor abuses all over the world, has a reputation as a powerhouse in pursuing child labor abuses, according to BUHS social studies teacher Harrington "Tim" Kipp.

"It's the most prominent anti-sweatshop and child labor organization in the country," said Kipp.

Kernaghan began the presentation by recalling a fire in 1911, in New York City at the Ash building, a sweatshop filled with working children. After the deaths of 146 people (mostly children), he noted a key piece of legislation that did away with sweat-shops in the country. He said the Fair Labor Standards Act, passed in 1938, made it illegal for most children under 16 to work and eliminated the possibility of this kind of fire happening again -- inside the United States.

But then he quickly shifted to Dakar, Bangladesh. In November 2000, he said, a fire broke out in a sweatshop early one evening, catching sparks from the electrical system and erupting into a blaze that killed 51 people, again mostly children.

"They're your age," he told the students. "They're younger than you. And they make your clothes." Kernaghan proceeded to criticize a media that failed to publicize the disaster. He also criticized inaction.

"When 51 young people are burned to death in Bangladesh, we do absolutely nothing," he said.

For the rest of the presentation, Kernaghan focused on three companies: Nike, Walmart and the Disney Corporation. He devoted the most time to Nike.

Holding up a purple Shaquille O'Neal jersey emblazoned with the number 34, he chronicled the conditions of workers in El Salvador, where the jerseys are made. Reporting findings from a recent investigative visit, he said workers in Nike factories were required to ask permission to go to the bathroom (they could go twice a day) and to drink water (they could have one drink a day).

"They don't want you drinking water because if you drink water you have to go to the bathroom," he explained.

Kernaghan also obtained a sample of the workers' drinking water and had it tested in a laboratory, where he discovered that it contained enormous amounts of bacteria, along with human and animal fecal material. He explained why the workers, mostly young women, could not seek fresher water.

"When they show up they are locked in the factories, behind barbed wire." He said men with shot guns patrol the facilities.

Kernaghan explained that in the midst of these conditions, managers required employees to come to work in clean clothes in order to keep the shirts they made from becoming sullied. He said workers were paid a total of 29 cents to make the Shaq shirt he held up -- a jersey he said sold in the United States for $140.

Nike officials had not answered a phone inquiry about these conditions by late Wednesday afternoon.

Kernaghan cited similar conditions for workers in overseas factories run by Walmart and Disney. But he emphasized while these companies, particularly Walmart, were the worst offenders in the country, others did not provide workers with much better conditions. He contended it was virtually impossible to boycott companies into compliance with decent labor practices because consumer choices were dismal and because boycotts sometimes forced companies to close factories altogether -- a move that hurt workers.

Instead of boycotting, Kernaghan advised people -- especially young people, who he said control the bulk of the clothing market -- to agitate for legislation. He also advocated letter-writing campaigns to companies.

Citing a few success stories, Kernaghan described a group of workers from a company called Chentex, in Nicaragua, who came to Vermont in 2000, attended workshops and then returned and mobilized to improve working conditions in their factories.

After the talk, Kernaghan said he was optimistic about workers' ability to improve their conditions, with help from U. S. consumers. He said that the toughest changes to make involve wages and the right to organize -- and that sanitation and working hours are more malleable.

Caitlin Holt, a junior and a member of CLEA, said she hoped the talk would spark action, whether or not students joined the group.

"I hope they go and write letters to companies," she said. "They don't need to join CLEA, though we'd love to have new members. But they can act one way or the other."

A resolution to make the Child Labor Awareness Day official has been introduced in state Legislature by Rep. Carolyn Partridge (D-Windham).

Brattleboro Union High School

7:45 am - CLEA passes out child labor awareness ribbons to students as they enter the school.
9:00 am - Principal Masters comes on the loud speaker and promotes Child Labor Awareness Day.
9:30 am - Sarah Bachman is introduced by CLEA students and makes a Power Point presentation
                to an assembly in the library.
1:00 pm - Charles Kernaghan is introduced by CLEA students and makes a presentation to an
                assembly in the library.

Mount Anthony Union High School

9:30 am   - CLEA students present on "What is child labor?"
10:00 am - 11:30 PM Charles Kernaghan makes a presentation for the school, followed by a
                  question and answer period with CLEA students.

Sharon Academy

2:00 pm - Sarah Bachman, accompanied by BUHS CLEA students, makes a presentation
                for the school.

U-32

Students from U-32 make presentations to their classmates throughout the day. Ellen David Friedman makes a presentation to the school.

Rutland

Rutland was unable to organize presentations due to NSRE testing, but they will participate by handing out awareness ribbons and hanging up posters. Also they will show a short video they made promoting CLAD.

Mt. Abe, MVU, Thetford

Students are participating by hanging up posters and distributing ribbons.

Compass/Bellows Falls

An agriculture presentation will be made by CLEA students. (time TBA)

What can you do?

List adapted from the Student Committee Against Labor Exploitation web site – a useful resource.

Ø First decide what do you wish to accomplish with your group. What will you stand for?

Ø Then decide how you will accomplish your goals?

Ø Then: TAKE ACTION:

Ø Get people to join, publicize! Make people aware, distribute flyers make them simple but effective don't be afraid to use graphics, something that will get people's attention!

Ø Hold events -- leaflet, rally, hold teach-ins, gather an assembly Set a time to meet.

Ø Put up a group website. This is a great way to get the word out to lots of people so more people can get to know about your organization

Ø Do presentations @ your school and other schools.

Ø Organize a teach-in: Organize a day where you and others can educate people around you about sweatshops. You can invite in teachers or experts to help you put together the event.Get materials from SCALE and other high school groups.

Ø Contact other organizations to see what support they can offer you.

Ø Talk to existing clubs/groups within your school and others about your group.

Ø Write a letter to your local paper: Write an letter or article about sweatshops and about how your organization that fights against sweatshops. Send this to your local paper and then call them and ask them to publish it.

Ø Hold a speak-out: Get together with a couple of friends and invite people to hear you speak about your group and about sweatshop abuses.

Ø Create an anti-sweatshop bulletin board: At your school you can make a bulletin board to publicize your ideas and your group

Ø Leaflet at an event: Make up a small flyer and hand it out on the street or outside a store like the Gap so that that people can learn about sweatshops

Ø Make up a petition: Write down your ideas and what you want a corporation to do and get everyone sign the petition.

Ø Take Action: Organize a protest or rally with posters, signs and music where many people can come and learn about sweatshops, pressure the corporations and join the fight.

Ø Hold a sweatshop fashion show: This is a mock fashion show where the announcer talks about the conditions where the clothes were made.

Ø Create your own magazine: It's not that hard to put together articles on sweatshops and interviews with workers. You could also include articles on what you've done and also information on how to join your organization.

Ø And don't forget to MAKE IT FUN!!!

 

Why you should care

Adapted from the Student Committee Against Labor Exploitation web site – a useful resource.

Chances are, the clothes you are wearing were made in a sweatshop. We learn all about sweatshops in history class, things like the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, but no connection is made to the realities of the modern age. The truth is, sweatshops still make most of the garments we wear. Most overseas garment factories and even most American garment factories are considered sweatshops – according to Webster's New World Dictionary – "n. a shop or plant where employees are forced to work long hours at low wages under poor working conditions."

Workers in today's sweatshops are sometimes abused and beaten, screamed at by management, paid below a living wage, forced to work unpaid overtime, given forced pregnancy tests – things that seem unbelievable to most Americans. It's still here though – even the Triangle fire is echoed today. Just last November, 51 workers died in a fire in a Bangladeshi sweatshop. The doors were locked by management so the workers couldn't leave early after being forced to work unpaid overtime, and they were all trapped inside when the fire broke out. Eight of the victims were under 14 years old, including some as young as 10. Many of the workers jumped out of 4th floor windows to avoid the flames – only to impale themselves on the spiked fence that surrounded the complex. Do you want people dying for your clothes?

The rhetoric we are force fed tells us these sweatshops are necessary and that they are the only way to bring these countries out of their third world poverty; this is simply not true. America had sweatshops, they say, and we did. The situation in the U.S. was rather different though, for starters. Central America faces 50% unemployment rates, with one child often relied upon to support an entire family. In the U.S. at the turn of the century, there was an abundance of jobs, and when entire families went to work it actually was possible to pull themselves out of misery. It was unions that finally brought the U.S. sweatshop system to an end, but unions are fought and broken in Central America. Union leaders are fired and occasionaly assassinated where one can buy a murder for just a few dollars.

Corporations and governments tell us their intent is to help the people of the third world by giving them jobs, but this is just another lie. Sweatshops are used to line the pockets of billionaires like Phil Knight, the CEO of Nike. Knight is worth almost $13 billion – enough money to stay at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Manhattan every night ($399,) eat three meals there ($120,) fly around the world first class every day ($11,000,) and buy a new Lincoln Continental every week (aprox. $35,000,) for the next 1,990 years. The total cost of the $140 Nikes we buy is about $14, the cost of labor, shipping, tariffs, and materials. Sweatshop workers are often paid less than ½ of 1% of the selling price. Would it break the backs of these CEOs and their companies, or of the American consumers, to pay these people an extra ten cents per garment they need and deserve?