TEACHERS’
TOOL KIT
This
Tool Kit contains suggestions for incorporating “clean clothes” -
anti-sweatshop - concepts into educational endeavors at home, in schools and in
parish programs. Reflections on
Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching are included.
The
Tool Kit has five sections. Each section
has an index. Either you can scroll
through the whole kit or you can click on a section that interests you, and
then once there click on the title of a particular subject. You are welcome to make a copy of these
resources by highlighting, cutting and pasting it/them into a new document on
your own computer and giving credit for origin.
As
you develop additional resources, we encourage you to indicate the level for
which each is appropriate and send them (in Word format) to wmo@archmil.org for inclusion in this Tool
Kit. Unfortunately, we are unable to
incorporate hard copy materials. If you
are forwarding copyrighted materials, please be sure the source is clearly
indicated and that you have secured permission for including them here.
1.
Teacher Resources and
Background
2.
Videos and Books for Free
Loan
4.
Intermediate Grades and
Middle School
Teacher Resources and Background:
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan’s
Labor Day 2004 Message:
Letter From Educators’ Committee
Clean Clothes Educators’ Contact
List
Getting Started: Sweatshop
Brainstorm
Ideas For Creating a Classroom
Environment
Brochure
for Milwaukee Clean Clothes Campaign:
Teacher
Resources available for purchase:
Anti-sweatshop Web Resources for
Teachers and Students
FROM ARCHBISHOP TIMOTHY M. DOLAN’S
LABOR DAY 2004 MESSAGE:
…I invite you to see Labor Day, though, not just as
the end of summer, but as an opportunity to praise God for the gift of work, to
remember those without it, and to express our allegiance to Church teaching
that the laborer deserves dignity, respect, and fair wages.
The Catholic Church in the
A fundamental Catholic belief is that
of valuing and respecting the sacredness of human life. Our immigrant ancestors came to these shores
seeking religious freedom and economic security. Over a period of many decades our forefathers
participated, often with great personal sacrifice, in the struggles for a
living wage, safe working conditions and all the rights that full citizenship
guaranteed.
The basis for these struggles was the
traditional Catholic biblical teaching that all persons on this earth are
created in God’s own image and likeness.
Because of this teaching, our ancestors were deeply committed to the
intrinsic dignity and worth of each person, regardless of ethnic background,
national origin, or human achievements.
That belief is now being tested in a
new way. The powerful potential of
technology to create interdependent economic ties among nations can be
abused. It is frequently used to exploit
workers in distant parts of the world so that affluent societies can continue
to enjoy a lifestyle that the resources of this earth cannot long support. We Catholics who live in this nation full of
abundance might forget that the worth and dignity of each individual are not
confined to our national boundaries, but include all peoples on this
earth. They, too, have the same rights
to decent wages and, especially at this moment, safe working environments that
correspond to their human dignity as individuals created and loved by God.
Pope John Paul II has frequently pointed
out the importance of the virtue of solidarity in today’s political and
economic world. That virtue, to be
meaningful, must be put into practice through concrete attitudes and deeds as
we work cooperatively in economic spheres with other nations. We are continually challenged to collaborate
with people around the world for just and equitable labor standards. Our efforts show themselves by our serious
concern for the well-being of all without exception.
I have just become aware of a movement
called the “Clean Clothes Campaign.”
Since January, a team of educators here in southeastern
During this Labor Day holiday I invite
you to consider ways in which you will commit yourself to solidarity and make a
difference in the lives of people who, without knowing you, are such a
significant part of your life. In this
way we walk in the footsteps of our ancestors whose personal sacrifices
contributed to the improved working environment many of us enjoy today.
Blessings on all who strive to put into
practice Christ’s teaching about love of neighbor.
LETTER FROM EDUCATORS’ COMMITTEE:
To
Our Fellow Educators:
The
Prophet Micah alerts us to what God requires of us: “…to do justice, to love kindness, and to
walk humbly with your God” (6:8). How
can we as Roman Catholic educators live out what Micah challenges us? How can we in the twenty-first century
meaningfully live words that were written so long ago?
One
way to live the above challenge is to participate in an exciting program for
students, the Clean Clothes Campaign. This program helps all of us tackle an
important social justice issue: sweatshops.
It allows us all to thoroughly examine this issue and reflect upon it in
light of what we believe as Roman Catholics.
The
Tool Kit is a sampling of what is offered to you as an educator of this and
other social justice issues. In this kit, you shall find information about how
to go about implementing this type of social awareness project. You will also discover materials that examine
this issue in light of Catholic Social Teaching, Scripture, and our
Tradition. Finally, you will gain a
newer perspective on people working in sweatshops, people with names, faces,
and stories of which we generally do not know.
We
pray for you as you use these materials to further your own and your students’
understanding of sweatshops. We pray
that the Spirit will guide you and your students to a deeper understanding of
the words of Micah: “…to do justice, to
love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
If
you would like to join this committee, please contact one of us. We welcome new ideas and would be delighted
to expand our vision and resources through you!
Sincerely,
The
Clean Clothes Campaign
Educators’
Committee
Jeff
Danner, teacher St Roman,
Tim
Dewane, director
SSND Office of Global Justice
and Peace
Rose
Feess, SSND, teacher
Mike
Heimbach director Gesu Youth and Adult Formation
Mike
Howden, coordinator
Milwaukee Clean Clothes Campaign
Rosemary
Huddleston, OP coordinator World Mission Ministries
Jeanne
Karl, principal St Mary,
Connie
Molbeck, teacher
Cyndi
Nienhaus, CSA teacher St Mary, Elm Grove
Diana
Portlance, teacher St Mary and others,
Sue
Schmitt teacher
St John Vianney,
Betty
Uchytil, SSND principal St Roman,
CLEAN CLOTHES EDCATORS’ COMMITTEE
CONTACT LIST:
As
of January 2005, the following are members of the Clean Clothes Educators’
Committee. We welcome anyone who would
like to participate in our infrequent, energizing meetings. Please let Rosemary Huddleston know if you
are interested.
|
Jeff Danner, Teacher St 1810 W Bolivar 414-289-0701 home 414-282-7970 work Sue Schmitt, Teacher 414-778-0405 home 262 796 3942 Mike Howden, Coordinator 414-342-5284 home Rose Feess, SSND, Teacher 726 West Scott 414-383-4940 home 414
-671-3000 work Tim Dewane, Dir. Global Justice & Peace School Sisters of Notre Dame 262-787-1023 work 262 514 3343 home Jeanne Karl, Principal St Mary’s, 4895 Hwy 28 262-626-2989 home 262-338-5602 work |
Betty Uchytil, SSND, Principal St 1810 W Bolivar 414-282-7970 work Connie Molbeck, Teacher St Patrick Parish/ 262-639-8720 home Rosemary Huddleston, OP, International World Mission Ministries Office 414-769-3405 work Cyndi Nienhaus, CSA. teacher St 262 786 6939 home 262 782 7057 work Mike
Heimbach, director Gesu
Parish Youth and Adult Ministry 1210
414
288 7412 michael.heimbach@marquette.edu Diana Portlance, Teacher St Mary’s, 262-306-9060 home |
A PRIMER ON SWEATSHOPS
For an
overview: check this website: http://www.tardart.com/html/sweatshop.html
Question 1: What is the definition of sweatshops located within
the borders of the
Answer 1: Places of employment, under the regulation of the
U.S. Department of Labor that meets at least two of the following criteria:
- Pays workers less than
legal minimum wage.
- Requires workers to
work long periods without adequate breaks.
- Fails to keep accurate
records as to wages owed individual employees.
- Does not compensate
employees when they are entitled to overtime pay.
- Have numerous unsafe
working conditions as defined by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health
Administration).
- Illegally employ
minors.
Question 2: How do “sweatshops” located in developing countries
that produce goods for American companies who ultimately sell these goods to
American consumers differ from “sweatshops” located within the
Answer 2: In addition to the possible circumstances listed in
Answer 1, the following may also apply to “sweatshops” in developing countries:
- No or merely cursory
company-sponsored monitoring of working conditions.
- Physical abuse of
workers by overseers.
- Workers may live at
their places of employment in filthy quarters.
- Workers may be
indentured servants.
- Male overseers
routinely take sexual advantage of female employees.
- Workers may be
political prisoners (e.g.,
- Workers are physically
forced to work whatever number of hours management demands (e.g., consecutive
18 hour shifts).
- Management charge
workers for meals and lodging that may exceed the workers’ wages (e.g.,
workers are perpetually in debt to the “company store”).
Question 3: Within the
Answer 3: Industries with higher than average incidences of
“sweatshop” conditions in the
- Foodservice (e.g.,
restaurants)
- Garment Industry –
largely in
- Meat Packing Plants
- Poultry Processing
Plants.
- Agriculture (i.e.,
migrant workers).
- Small Manufacturing
facilities
Question 4: What types of industries in developing
countries, which supply products for
Answer 4: In those developing countries without
adequate government regulation and viable labor unions, “sweatshop” conditions
may exist in any industry (e.g., steel, auto, electronics, etc.)
Question 5: According to advocacy groups for workers’ rights,
what are some of the
Answer 5: A partial listing of well-known
- May Department Stores
(e.g., Lord & Taylor)
- Nike
- J.C. Penney
- Wal-Mart
- Disney
- Sears
- Target
- Kohls
As
Roman Catholics, each of us needs to be concerned about “sweatshop” working conditions. The Social Teachings of the Catholic Church
argue strongly against “sweatshop” conditions for workers. Some of the Church documents that address the
dignity of the human workers are as follows:
- Rerum Novarum, 1891, #32: “No man may outrage with impunity that
human dignity (of workers) which God himself treats with reverence…(For a
worker) to consent to any such treatment which is calculated to defeat the
end and being of his being is beyond his right’ he cannot give up his soul
to servitude; for it is not man’s own rights which are here in question
but the rights of God most sacred and inviolable.”
- Pacem in Terris, 1963, #18ff: “It is clear that (the human person) has
a right by the natural law not only to an opportunity to work, but also to
go about (that) work without coercion.
To these rights is certainly joined the right to demand working
conditions in which physical health is not endangered, and young people’s
normal development is not impaired.
Women have the right to working conditions in accordance with their
requirements. Furthermore, and this
must be especially emphasized, the worker has a right to a wage determined
according to the criterion of justice and sufficient therefore…to give
(workers and their) families a standard of living in keeping with dignity
of the human person.”
- Economic Justice for All: A Catholic Framework
for Economic Life (A Statement of the
As Catholics, consumers, and shareholders it is
important for us to become better informed about sweatshops and their impact on
workers and families. To facilitate
additional knowledge, you may wish to get on the mailing list of at least one
of the organizations listed below that monitor sweatshops.
- Chicago Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, 4th
floor,
- National Labor Committee,
United Students Against
Sweatshops, 1710
Broadway,
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a Sweatshop? The term sweatshop was first
used in the 19th Century to describe the profits that were “sweated”
from workers by their employers. While
sweatshops were common during the early decades of the 20thCentury, the labor
movement and compassionate legislation were supposed to make sweatshops a thing
of the past. A century later, Americans
are becoming increasingly aware that oppressive labor conditions in he
The U.S. General
Accounting Office developed a government definition of a sweatshop as “an
employer that violates more than one federal or state labor law governing
minimum wage and overtime, child labor, industrial homework, occupational
safety and health, workers’ compensation or industry regulation, a chronic or a
multiple labor-law violator.
According to UNITE, the
garment workers’ union, a sweatshop has long hours, unlivable wages and no
benefits – no paid holidays, no vacations, no insurance, no pension. Workers in sweatshops are subject to
arbitrary discipline and poor working conditions including oppressive heat in
the summer and freezing cold in the winter.
Usually they are lawless operations, evading no only wage and hour laws,
but also paying no taxes and operating in the underground economy hidden from
public view. Some workplaces, be they
modern factories, fields, nursing homes, or sparkling hotels, may not appear
offensive at first glance. Yet the
paltry wages, lack of health care coverage, and safety and health hazards,
conspire to create sweatshops which degrade workers. The extent to which work is “sweated” in
these shops can be gauged by the living and health conditions of the workers.
Sweatfree Communities
adds: A sweatshop is a workplace where workers are subject to extreme
exploitation, including the absence of a living wage, poor working condition,
denial of their rights and arbitrary discipline. Workers in sweatshops typically work long
hours for sub-poverty paychecks. They
are frequently not paid for overtime.
They are not allowed to organize unions in order to improve their
conditions. Sweatshops also frequently
include other abuses such as child labor, unsafe working conditions, inhumanely
long working hours, physical punishment or humiliation for mistakes.
Where do we find sweatshops? In
Other
It is difficult to
estimate how many sweatshops there are in other countries. The International Labor Organization
estimates that in other countries there are about 250,000,000 children working
instead of going to school.
Why are sweatshops proliferating? Big retail and apparel companies are in a
global race to increase profits by driving down production costs. As they source merchandise from all over the
world, they search for places where workers are paid low wages. In these same areas human rights are trampled
and environmental protection is ignored.
There are no
international laws that require corporations to respect workers’ rights or even
to pay a living wage. Current trade laws
encourage companies to make their products in places with the worst conditions
and lowest wages, places where workers are not free to stand up for their
rights and protect themselves. The
“structural adjustment” policies of the International Monetary Fund and the
World Bank encourage countries to become sweatshop havens.
This dynamic is driving
us all into a race to the bottom.
Factories with decent conditions in the
What can be done? In recent years students,
faith-based communities, trade unionists and others have worked to clean up the
apparel industry, often partnering with sweatshop workers to put pressure on
the huge retail chains that control the apparel industry. Retailers have thus far refused to make
significant changes, but concerned consumers will continue to increase pressure
in this direction.
College students have
introduced an additional approach to the problem by persuading many colleges
and universities to insist on decent conditions in the factories where college sweatshirts,
caps and similar items are made. Now
citizens in communities across the country are persuading cities, counties,
states and schools districts to adopt this same logic for the apparel goods
they purchase. You too can help in this
effort.
adapted from SweatFree
communities 2002-2003
and National Interfaith
Committee for Worker Justice’s Organizing Kit
Most of the clothing and footwear, and a
significant portion of many other products sold in this country are made in
sweatshops in
GETTING STARTED:
To get a Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) started in your area contact the CCC Educators’ Committee to have a speaker come for a presentation to:
· the students in your class
· the staff
· a committee which makes decisions about uniforms, athletic wear, etc.
Check the Educators’ Committee list above for contact
information
GETTING STARTED: SWEATSHOP
BRAINSTORM
Description:
The Sweatshop Brainstorm is a useful introductory
exercise that helps find out what participants already know about
sweatshops. Using this information as
the starting point the educator provides additional information and analysis to
build on what students know and challenge misconceptions and biases.
Notes:
·
Establishes what students know and don’t know about the issue.
·
Gets students involved from the beginning.
·
Doesn’t take much time.
·
Can be used as introduction or the basis for a program design.
·
Adaptable to almost any size group.
How
to do the exercise:
ü
Write “SWEATSHOPS” on a black board flip chart.
ü
Ask students to “brain-storm” key words they associate with the term
“SWEATSHOPS”.
ü
Record the information on a flip chart.
ü
If you have the time, move into a more “guided discussion” using some or
all of the following questions:
o
Where do sweatshops exist?
o
Who works in sweat-shops and why?
o
What companies or brands use sweatshops?
o
What are common sweatshop conditions and abuses?
o
What are people doing to change things?
o
Who is involved in these efforts?
o
Where did you get your information about sweatshops?
Record
all participants’ answers on flipchart paper, including incorrect answers.
You
can refer back to this information throughout the rest of your work on this
issue. For example, after you’ve
provided “new information” through a video or presentation, you might want to
ask students how they would add to or change their sweatshop list.
IDEAS FOR CREATING A CLASSROOM
ENVIRONMENT:
- Create a Bulletin
Board Display. Include pictures,
charts, and newspaper articles. Use
captions to share questions, quotations or titles to evoke student
interest. Encourage students to
view the displays and ask questions.
The Bulletin Board could be an excellent source of journal writing
questions.
Possible
Bulletin Board Captions
o
Uniform Injustice?
o
Too Much Homework…?
o
Can YOU Shop Till They Stop?
o
Sweatshop in Your Closet?
o
Dressed for Justice?
·
Create a clothing rack display.
Borrow a laundry rack and hang clothes.
Post a sign next to the rack that reads:
“Can you tell which of these was made by exploited or child labor?”
SUGGESTIONS FOR ACTIVITIES:
After your students have learned about issues related
to sweatshops and child labor, they could:
·
Write letters to
corporations such as Nike, Disney, or Wal-Mart encouraging a change in labor
practices.
·
Write letters or speak
to people in power in your school; boards, administrators, athletic
associations, etc., asking them to choose sweat free clothing.
·
Older students
could give presentations to younger students about the issues
·
Create a play or
a video, which dramatizes the problem, and perform it
·
Raise money for
Free the Children, which actually buys children out of slavery and puts them in
school http://www.freethechildren.org/
·
Brainstorm to
come up with their own ideas; kids are amazingly creative.
·
Have an event
where many vendor cards are collected and handed into one store such as
Wal-Mart, or a locally popular store.
·
Students in
religious education classes who attend public school could take these issues
back to the public schools and encourage
those choosing athletic uniforms,
cheerleaders, spirit wear, etc. to choose sweat free clothing.
CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING:
A Catholic
Framework for Economic Life (NCCB 1996)
- 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.
- 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.
Quotes from Economic
Justice for All (US Catholic Bishops, 1986)
- 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)
- 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)
- …Foreign investors,
attracted by low wage rates in less developed countries, should consider
both potential loss of jobs in the home country and the potential
exploitation of workers in the host country. (Section 279)
Quotes from the 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)
Scripture:
Woe
to the one who builds a house by unrighteousness, and upper rooms by injustice;
who makes neighbors work for nothing, and does not give them their wages;
But
your eyes and heart are only on your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent
blood and for practicing oppression and violence. Jeremiah 22:13,17
Listen? The wages of the laborers who mowed your
fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters
have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened
your herds in a day of slaughter. James
5:4-5
THESE
SCRIPTURE CITATIONS ARE PROVIDED AS AN AID IN PREPARING SPECIAL LITURGIES,
COMMUNAL PENANCES, BIBLE DEVOTIONS DEALING WITH SOCIAL JUSTICE, CHRISTIAN
SERVICE, PEACE, OR CHURCH RENEWAL.
OLD TESTAMENT
I
Sam. 15:22 – Excessive formalism vs. obedience to God
Isaiah
1:10-20 – Religious hypocrisy.
Isaiah
2: 1-5 – Turn swords into ploughshares.
Isaiah
3:13-15 – Grinding the face of the poor.
Isaiah
5:1-7 – God’s people (vineyard) produce bitter fruit of injustice.
Isaiah
5:8-9 - Woe to those who hoard riches.
Isaiah
10:2 – What happens when we turn our backs on poor
Isaiah
29:13 – Lip service only
Isaiah
53:1-12 – God doesn’t want empty worship or meaningless religious exercise. He wants conversion of heart that produces
justice, love and mercy.
Isaiah
61: 1-2 – Mission of Christ foretold.
Ezekiel
16:49 – Woe to the one who does not aid the poor
Hosea
6:6 – Love, not empty worship
Micah
2:1-2 – Woe to the oppressor
Micah
6:8 – Act justly.
Micah
6:9-13 Dishonesty condemned
Jer.
6:13-16 they cry. “Peace!” and there is no peace
Jer.
6:20 – Your worship is not pleasing
Jer.
7:1-11 – Amend your behavior
Zk.
7:9-10 – Justice and mercy
Ps
9:9 – Strength for the oppressed
Ps
12:5 – Protection for the poor
Ps.
14: 31 God’s reaction to how the poor are treated
Ps.
40 – Regard for the lowly and poor
Ps.
41: 17 – God is with poor prople
Ps.
69:33 – God hears the needy
Ps
72 – God liberates and defends poor and oppressed
Ps
82 – No more mockery of justice
Deut
15:4 – Let there be no poor among you
Deut.
24:17-22 – Jewish welfare system
Deut
30 – Choose life. National priorities
Ez
34 – Responsibilities of leaders and authorities – (shepherds) – e.g.
religious, civic, business, etc.
Ez.
39 – The “dry bones” of the Church and our communities and nation can be
renewed by prophecy and the Holy Spirit.
Sir
or Ecc. 3:30 – 4:11 – Charity toward poor.
Ec.
4:1-3 – The power of oppressors and the tears of the weak.
Lev.
19:9-15 – Brotherhood
Lev
25:35-38 – Jewish welfare system
Amos
5:14-15 – Establish justice
Amos
5:21-24 – God does not want empty, meaningless religious exercises, but rather
worship that expresses true conversion and renewal that produces justice.
Amos
6:1 and 3-6 – Woe to the rich
Amos
8:4-7 – The powerful trample on the poor and needy.
PRAYER SERVICE:
Leader’s Copy
Write the Vision Down…
INTRODUCTION
There is a power in us that borders on the holy and
that is probably an understatement. But
what else could Jesus have been speaking of when He told us that if we believe
in Him. We will do the same miracles
that He has done and even greater ones.
Jesus took all of His hidden dreams and laid them on the people. His vision became a gospel. Our vision has the same destiny.
I
am told that there are folks
who
refuse to dream
because
their vision
has
been so seemingly shattered
like
dreams that die at birth.
And
so they hide them
in
small corners of their hearts
and
pretend they aren’t there.
But,
as for me,
I
am almost sure
that
in the Body of Christ
that
we call the Church
we
have the power
to
help each other’s dreams come true.
For
in dark moments
when
light has hidden its face for awhile
we
are the stars
meant
to shine for each other
And
we do!
More
than anything else
I
would like to remind you
that
the vision hidden within you
has
the power
to
become a gospel.
And
it is important for you to know that
as
it is for the sun to shine
or
the rain to fall
or
a heart to beat,
because
only if we believe in the gospel
that
lives inside
that
hidden vision in us
can
the strangers we walk with
afford
to dream
(Adapted
from Seasons of the Heart by Marcrina Wiederkehr, OSB)
OPENING
SONG: Voices that Challenge (David Haas)
INVITATION
TO PRAYER:
OPENING
PRAYER:
Presider: Our God, once long ago, your spirit
moved
through chaos and gave
it form:
through darkness and
brought forth light:
through a world confused
and gave it purpose and meaning.
Today, when there is darkness
still,
when we stand confused
before a future that summons us,
your Spirit moves once
more in calling us to light.
and to a meaning we have
yet to learn.
Open our eyes, our ears
and our hearts to your summoning word,
that we may choose rightly,
love courageously, and
move forward to your city of promise.
All glory be to you,
Father, and to your Son
and to the Holy Spirit
who dwells within us
now and forever.
Pause
RESPONSE: Excerpts from Habakkuk 2:2-3 and Revelation
21:1-8
Presider assigns half
the group as voice 1 and half the group as voice 2.
Reader: Then Yahweh answered me and said,
“Write the vision down,
Inscribe it so that it
can be easily read
For the vision has its
appointed time,
If it delays, wait for
it
for it will come.
It will surely, surely
come.”
Reader: Then I saw a new heaven and a new
earth.
Voice
1: A new heaven
Voice
2: I saw a new
heaven
Reader: I saw a new heaven and a new
earth.
Voice
1: I saw the holy
city
Voice
2: the holy
city
Reader: I saw the holy city, the new
Jerusalem
Reader: I saw the new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out
of heaven
as beautiful as a bride
all dressed for her husband.
Then I heard a loud
voice call from the throne.
“You see this city?
Here God lives among
you.”
Reader: “Now I am making the whole of
creation new
Voice
1: the whole
of creation
Voice
2: I am making the
whole of creation new
Reader: Write this,
What I am saying is sure
and it will come true.
I will give water from
the well of life
free to anyonewho is
thirsty;
Voice
1: water
Voice
2: water from the
well of life
Reader: water from the well of life
free to anyone
who is thirsty
Reader: free to anyone who is
thirsty
Reader: I will be your God and you will
be my people.
(Brief
pause)
Voice
1: The vision has
its appointed time.
Voice
2: its appinted
time
Voices: vision has its appointed time.
Voice
1: If it delays,
wait for it
Voice
2: wait for
it
Voice
1: it will come
Voice
2: it will
come
Voices: it will surely, surely come.
Moment of Silence
Presider: The vision will surely come, but we
must be people unafraid to dream, and not only to dream, but to work actively
to bring about a more just society. I
invite you now to reflect for a moment on the injustice and lack of reverence
for the human person which presently exists in sweatshops throughout this
country. What is your vision/dream of
what can be? Write down the vision.
REFLECTION soft musical background) Voices that Challenge – David Haas
Participants
are invited to write down the vision and come forward to place it in the basket
provided for this purpose.
CLOSING PRAYER
Presider: Loving God, the time is now
when we, your people, must touch the world
which is ours.
The Spirit of Christ,
the Christ who lived and walked among us,
lives on within us giving us the power to
envision,
mold and fashion this world according to your
plan.
As we have seen and heard, so let us live
that we may build here a new and holy city
where you will be pleased to dwell.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the
Christ. Amen.
CLOSING SONG: City of
Refrain: Let us build the city
of
May our tears be turned into
dancing!
For the Lord, our light and our
love,
has turned the night into day!
Awake form your slumber! Arise from your sleep!
A new day is dawning for all those who weep
The people in darkness have seen a great
light.
The Lord of our longing has conquered the
night.
We are sons of the morning: we are daughters of day.
The one who has loved us has brightened our
way.
The Lord of all kindness has called us to be
a light for his people to set their hearts
free.
God is light: in God there is no darkness.
Let us walk in God’s light. God’s children, one and all
O comfort my people: make gentle your work.
Proclaim to my city the day of her birth.
All rights reserved. Used with permission.
1981 Daniel L. Schutte and
New Dawn Music,
BROCHURE FOR MILWAUKEE
The following four pages
may be copied and reassembled in booklet form
Nice Shirt!!
But Do You Know
HOW It Was Made?
Clothing Labels Rarely Give You
the Full Story
… The
Story of Sweatshop Workers
Ø
Owners
violate local laws and international agreements.
Ø
Companies
move away if workers get organized.
Ø
Sweatshop
workers, including teen-age girls and children, work long hours under harsh
conditions for sub-poverty wages.
Ø
Workers
breath toxic fumes, handle carcinogenic materials, and operate machines with no
safety mechanisms.
Ø
Women are
fired if they become pregnant.
Ø
Workers who
try to organize to improve conditions are fired and blacklisted for other
employment.
Ø
Workers are
told their health and safety, their voices, and their dignity don't matter.
“Free Trade” Rules Provide No Justice
Your desire for ethically produced products
is considered a
"barrier to trade" under the
rules of the global economy.
These rules
mean our country is not allowed to impose tariffs, embargoes, or trade bans
that give preference to items made with dignity over those made in sweatshops.
Rules prevent
discriminating against products by how they are produced. Even when owners deny
workers a living wage, threaten their safety and health, spoil the local or
global environment, and deny workers and their home communities the right to
organize to improve their conditions.
If we cannot
stop the sale of sweatshop products, at least as consumers we can demand
information and make ethical choices about the goods that we and our
communities purchase.
CAMPAIGNS TO GROW ON
We, as citizens and consumers,
have the power to change how corporations behave.
But we have to use that power.
SweatFree
Communities initiatives, also known as “Clean Clothes Campaigns,” build and
grow the local anti-sweatshop movement because they allow local activists to
control the shape and timing of their efforts.
This activism can then
expand over time because most communities include multiple entities that purchase
apparel goods − a city, its suburbs, its county, the school district, the
state, religious institutions, etc. − and may also house workplaces where
members of the community endure sweatshop conditions. One successful
campaign can provide momentum for the next.
Local
and statewide groups in
GET INVOLVED
Join the
The Wisconsin Fair Trade Campaign and the Milwaukee Clean
Clothes Campaign bring together labor, religious, environmental, health and
safety, peace, student and youth activists to fight for a system of trade and
economic globalization that puts labor standards, environmental quality and
human rights first.
We have worked with members of the
Milwaukee Common Council to pass an ordinance requiring that Police and
Firefighter uniforms and other apparel procured for city employees be sweatshop
free. We are continuing to work with officials of the Milwaukee Public Schools
to bring their procurement practices in line with a policy passed in 1998.
We are also working with representatives of
the Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese on a campaign covering companies
manufacturing school uniforms and "spirit wear" and are supporting
anti-sweatshop activities by students at
To learn more about our community-based
anti-sweatshop campaign call:
Mike Howden, Coordinator
(414)-342-5284
E-Mail: mikejudyhowden@sbcglobal.net
or
Contact the Sweat Free Communities
organization, a national network which, since early 2002, has grown by sharing
information. SFC has developed policy
language, strategy, and resources through cross country conference calls, a web
site and an email list serve. It has also created a thirty page “how to”
packet and tool kit to help new groups get started on initiatives in their own
communities.
TOOLS FOR ACTION
·
Join “Global Exchange” anti-sweatshop email list! www.globalexchange.org
·
Join “united students
against sweatshops”: www.studentsagainstsweatshops
·
Support labor organizing
and union drives.
Support
campaigns against corporations that violate human rights. Visit website: campaignforlaborrights.org
or call 541-344-0446.
·
Support fair trade, not
free trade.
See Fair Trade socially responsible shopping
guides: http://store.globalexchange.org/
·
Support the movement to
challenge corporate charters and develop new codes of conduct.
Check out these websites:
Program on Corporations, Law & Democracy: www.poclad.org
Corporate Watch: www.corporatewatch.org
·
Help build the movements
that can redefine the system.
Promote
the Fair Trade solution and make our government reform economic institutions
like the World Bank and IMF and renegotiate NAFTA and the World Trade Organization. Check out this website: http://www.sweatshops.org/educate/fairtrade_info.html
·
Join letter writing
campaigns such as the Wal-Mart Action Campaign:
Sign letter below or visit Co-op
Stop Sweatshops!
Commitment Pledge:
I promise to do the following:
___ Visit some sweatshop websites and become more informed.
___ Join “Global Exchange” anti-sweatshop email list!
___ Support Fair Trade and purchase
Fair Trade products (see Fair
Trade socially responsible shopping guide)
___ Join letter writing
campaigns such as the Wal-Mart Action
Campaign: Sign letter below or visit
Co-op
Name:______________________________________________
TEACHER RESOURCES available for
purchase:
1) Sweatshop Watch, has put
together the NO SWEATSHOPS: INFORMATION &
ACTION KIT:
Do You Know:
·
That
·
What effects the
shoemaking process has on Workers and the Environment?
·
How much an
Indonesian garment worker makes per month?
·
How much GAP'S
CEO makes an hour?
·
What NAFTA has
done to the Maquila Industry in
If you crave the answers to these
questions & more check out Sweatshop Watch's No Sweatshops: Information and Action Kit where we explore
sweatshop issues and share
ideas about how you can help
end sweatshop exploitation. The 15-subject tool kit addresses topics such as US
and global sweatshops, immigrant rights and frequently asked questions.
You can order
Sweatshop Watch's NO SWEATSHOPS: INFORMATION & ACTION KIT for $10 plus
shipping at www.sweatshopwatch.org or call 510.834.8990
2) Co-op
1.
CO-op
Quarterly, with articles on
sweatshop campaigns, environmental issues, and suggestions for alternatives,
actions, and lifestyle changes.
2.
Real Money, a bimonthly newsletter with a focus similar to the
quarterly, but added information on investments which support sustainable labor
and environmental practices.
3.
The annual National
Green Pages, a virtual shopping guide for all kinds of products which
support clean labor and the environment.
These resources will help you
choose sustainable and sweat free alternatives in your own life as well as
providing resources for teaching about issues.
For information call
1-800-58-GREEN or FAX:202-331-8166
Write them at Co-op America
1612 K St. NW. Suite 600 ,
Check their website: www.coopamerica.org
ANTI-SWEATSHOP WEB RESOURCES FOR
TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
From
the hundreds of websites dealing with sweatshop issues, we have selected a few
of the pages and groups most useful for youth and teachers. All sites have more information than we
describe, and nearly all have connections to other websites. Some of the links
below take you to a specific page but the home page may have even more of what
you want to know. Getting information on
global issues has never been so easy!
Tools: Teaching Materials, Manuals, Fliers,
Petitions and Resolutions
from BEHIND THE LABEL
◙"SweatFree
Communities" organizing guide, with flier and petition for school boards
or local government.
<http://www.behindthelabel.org/pdf/sweatfree.pdf>
◙"U.S.
Retailers Responsible for the Global Sweatshop Crisis" pamphlet,
including
Abercrombie, Ann Taylor, Bauer, Banana Republic, J Crew.
<http://www.behindthelabel.org/pdf/retailindus.pdf>
from GLOBAL EXCHANGE
◙Chocolate
organizing tools, sample students letters to M&M/Mars.
<http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/studentletters.html>
◙Chocolate
agitational fliers for students and teachers
<http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/StudentTeacherFlyer.pdf>
◙"Fundraising
with Fair Trade Chocolate" manual with sample letters, order form.
<http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/FTFundraisingGuide.pdf>
◙"Fair
Trade Chocolate: A Student Action
Guide" with letters, fliers and chocolate organizing efforts from grade 3
through high school.
<http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/JuniorHighActionGuide.pdf>
◙"Fair
Trade Day" Resolution for San Francisco Board of Supervisors
<http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/stores/ftresolution.html>
from the MAQUILA SOLIDARITY NETWORK
◙"Sweatshop
Fashion Show" script
<http://www.maquilasolidarity.org/tools/campaign/sfsscript.htm>
◙"How
to Become a No Sweat School" booklet, with petition, sample letter to
school board, model purchasing policy.
<http://www.maquilasolidarity.org/nosweat/pdf/School_Guide.pdf>
◙"No
Sweat" resources, including fliers, petition, poster,
<http://www.maquilasolidarity.org/campaigns/nosweat/resources.htm>
and the "real price of a $100 shoe"
<http://www.maquilasolidarity.org/tools/education/5catsshoechart.pdf>
from the UNITE
◙"Stop
Sweatshops Curriculum" for teachers, with contact info for many sweatshop
corporations.
<http://www.uniteunion.org/sweatshops/teach/curric.html>
◙Sample
letter to retailer or manufacturer.
<http://www.uniteunion.org/sweatshops/cando/cando.html>
MORE
◙High
School Organizing Guide, by United Students Against Sweatshops,
<http://www.studentsagainstsweatshops.org/docs/hsom.doc>,
includes high school campaign stories, sample letter to Nike, petition and
resolution for a school board, fashion show script, and a poem.
◙"Youth
in Action" color organizing manual, by Free the Children, good for junior
high school level.
<http://www.freethechildren.com/youthinaction/source/Youth_in_Action_Toolkit_COMPLETE.pdf>
◙Color
brochure, by Campaign for the Abolition of Sweatshops and Child Labor, with
reference to Wal-Mart and Disney
<http://www.AbolishSweatshops.org/brochure.pdf>
◙Sport
shoe price percentages graphic, by Clean Clothes Campaign.
<http://www.cleanclothes.org/campaign/shoe.htm>
◙"Sweatfree
Schools" petition, by
<http://www.americas.org/index.php?cp=item&item_id=367>
◙"Teacher's
Guide" on global child agricultural labor, by American Federation of
Teachers. <http://www.fieldsofhope.org/teachers/index.asp>
Groups Organizing Around
Sweatshops and Child Labor
Behind the Label
<http://www.behindthelabel.org>
Sweat free prom and other student stories, campaigns and resources.
Campaign for Labor Rights <http://www.campaignforlaborrights.org>
Projects on sweatshop clothing, soccer balls, bananas, Coke, and other maquiladoras, SweatFree Communities movement, student
organizing campaigns. Has the best e-mail alert network.
Child Labor Coalition <http://www.stop
childlabor.org> African child
chocolate slavery, other
Citizens Trade Campaign <http://www.citizenstrade.org> Fact sheets, materials on how to organize,
PowerPoint shows, letters to Congress, religious group positions, "Why
Students Should Care about the FTAA" flier.
Global Exchange
<http://www.globalexchange.org>
Works on sweatshop clothing, coffee and chocolate, at all ages. Includes Nike, several manuals, grade school
activity/coloring book and lesson plans.
Kids Can Free the Children <http://www.freethechildren.org> Lots of action tips, including a colorful
manual. Good for the junior high school level.
Maquila Solidarity Network <http://www.maquilasolidarity.org> How to produce a sweatshop fashion show,
other materials and useful information. (a Canadian site)
National Labor Committee <http://www.nlcnet.org>
Youth
anti-sweatshop actions including
anti-Disney cheerleaders. [on disk]
Several
campaigns and reports on clothing and toy sweatshops, with lots on Disney.
New York State Labor-Religion Coalition http://www.labor-religion.org/sweatfreetop.htm Sample school board petition, letter to
vendors, code of conduct materials, state legislation.
UNITE clothing workers union/High School Students
Against Sweatshops <http://www.uniteunion.org/sweatshops/hsas/hsas.html> Student action stories and helpful ideas.
United Students Against Sweatshops
<http://www.studentsagainstsweatshops.org> Works with colleges and high schools on
foreign and domestic sweatshop targets.
Includes how to organize, case studies, details on campaigns such as
Coca-Cola, reading lists, fact sheets and discussion groups.
Youth Organizing/
<http://www.americas.org/index.php?cp=item&item_id=47> Sweatfree schools campaign, student success
stories, Code of Conduct for school purchasing, with lots more information at
the home
2. Videos and Books for Free Loan
Videos
and Books are available for a one week free loan from the World Mission
Ministries Office of the Archdiocese of
VIDEOS:
- Lost Futures: The Problem of Child
Labor. The video and
Teacher’s Guide is a joint production of the International and Public
Affairs Department of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Through
the Child Labor Project, the International Affairs Department publicizes
the existence of child labor around the world by creating educational
resources for members and the general public. Sandra Feldman is a co-chair of the
Child Labor Coalition, an organization dedicated to ending child labor
exploitation and protecting the rights of working minors around the world. American Federation of Teachers,
AFL-CIO, 2003. (43 AAV)
- NLC/Hard Copy/Hard Target-
Investigations: Maquila in
- Threads of Justice: This Canadian film
explores the reality of sweatshops within the borders of their own
industrialized country. It offers
glimpses into the lives of women who sew for the fashion industry and
compares them to earlier struggles to overcome unjust labor
practices. Throughout are clips
from a public demonstration that includes a “fashion show” that contrasts
the cost of production off the articles of clothing with the retail price.
United
- Something to Hide: Today in the global
economy, corporations hide their production around the world behind locked
factory gates, armed guards and 15-foot high concrete walls topped with
razor wire. The companies refuse to
release to the American people the names and locations of the factories
they use. In order to shop with a
conscience, we have the right to know where, in which country and in which
factory, under what human rights conditions, and at what wages the products
we purchase are made. National Labor Committee’s
newest collaboration with Crowing Rooster Arts, Inc. and United Students Against Sweatshops, NLC/USAS, August 1999.
25 minutes. (19 AAV)
- Child Labor in
- Zoned for Slavery, the Child
Behind the Label: National Labor Committee, Crowing Rooster Arts, 1995.
- Mickey Goes to Haiti Walt Disney and the Science of
Exploitation, National Labor Committee, 18 minutes, 1996 (17 AAV) An
inside view of sweatshops in Haiti that make clothing for Disney
enterprises. Included are
interviews with workers.
- Behind the Labels: Garment workers on US,
The following video is not solely about
sweatshops. It is an introduction to
Catholic Social Teaching which motivates us to work on this issue.
- In The Footsteps of Jesus: Catholic Social Teaching at Work Today. How does God call you to make a
difference in the World? That is
the central question of the video, ”In The Footsteps of Jesus: Catholic Social Teaching at Work
Today.” All Catholics—teenagers and
senior citizens, college students and RCIA candidates, pastors and parish
councils,
-
Part I is an overview of the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching.
19 minutes
-
Part II each theme is highlighted through examples in the lives of six
individuals and one couple. 19 minutes.
-
Discussion guide included.
BOOKS:
Fired For Crying
to the Gringos, The Women in El Salvador Who Sew Liz Claiborne garments
Speak Out Asking for Justice, A Report by the National Labor Committee, 7/99
(26 AA)
Wal-Mart’s Shirts of
Misery, A
Report by the National Labor Committee, 7/1999 (27 AA)
Challenging
Sweatshops: A Guide for the
Religious Community, by Evely Laser Shlensky & Kim Bobo (33 AA)
Border Witness: Youth Confront NAFTA by Maureen Casey. A photographic essay with voices of young
people who have traveled to the border of
Call to
Action: Focus On Sweatshops,
Information / Action Packet including project brochure and introductory letter,
3 copies (37 AA)
The Maquiladora
Reader: Cross-Border Organizing Since NAFTA. Edited by Rachael Kame & Anya
Hoffman. This book shares heroic stories
told by workers in the maquiladoras, how they have organized themselves to
change conditions in their workplaces and communities and how they have forged
alliances on both sides of the border.
American Friends Services Committee, 1999 (38 AA)
Whose Trade
Organization? Corporate
Globalization and the Erosion of Democracy by Lori Wallach and Michelle Sforza,
Public Citizen, 1999 (39 AA)
Women Behind the
Labels, Worker Testimonies from Central America, Stitch and the Maquila
Solidarity Network, Marion Traub-Werner and Lynda Yanz (editors), September,
2000 (42 AA)
Bangladesh, Ending
the Race To the Bottom, The Role of U.S. Universities and Student Solidarity, A Report by the National
Labor Committee (2 copies) (46 AA)
Through The Eye Of
A Needle, A 5-week journey focused on the issue of consumerism, Pax Christi USA (48 AA)
World Citizen, Action
for Global Justice, by Adam Daniel Corson-Finnerty, 1982
(1 AA)
Education
for Justice, Pedagogical Principles, by Brian Wren, 1977 (6 AA)
Give Us This Day
Our Daily Bread: Sufficient, Sustainable
Livelihood for All, A study on economic life, from the Division for Church
in Society of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, October, 1996 (8 AA)
Words of Peace,
Selections from the Writings of Daniel Berrigan, SJ, Volume II, edited by John
Dear, SJ, 1991 (9 AA)
Brave
Evangelization and
Justice, New Insights for
The Bible, the
Church, and Social Justice, by Richard Schiblin, C.SS.R., 1983 (20 AA)
What every Christian should know About Social Justice, from Church World Service, Channing L. Bete
Co., 1986 (23 AA)
The Global
Activist’s Manual:
OTHER LIBRARY RESOURCES FOR EDUCATION
In
addition to the above mentioned resources, World Mission Ministries has many
other videos and books along with maps and photos and some CDs, that support
mission and global education. http://www.archmil.org/resources/userfiles/worldmis/Worldlibrary2.htm
you
will find a complete (exhaustive!) listing of all the materials that are available
by section. As indicated above, they are
available for free loan.
General Education for
Elementary
Youth
Adult
World Areas and Countries: Africa, Asia,
Caribbean, Latin America, Middle East, North America
Catholic Social Teaching
and Church Issues,
Twinning/Parish
Partnerships with other countries,
Missionaries/Missiology, Reflections/Poetic presentations
International Justice Issues: Sweatshops/Clean Clothes Campaign,
MILITARY including
Español: Last and certainly not least we have
a section en español.
3. Primary Grades:
Few
materials have been developed for the primary grades. However the seven introductory sessions found
on the World Mission Ministries web page offer some simple ways to introduce
the subject of sweatshops to young children with the help of their parents and
teachers.
For
English speaking students, go to: http://www.archmil.org/resources/userfiles/AllWeeksIn_English.pdf
For
Spanish speaking students, go to:
http://www.archmil.org/resources/userfiles/AllWeeksEn_Espanol.pdf
You
might browse some of the other grade level materials and adapt them to your
students’ level. If you do, or if you
create other ways for helping primary school age children to understand the
reality of sweatshops, please send them to huddlestonr@archmil.org and they will
be added to this resource.
After
working with some of the above, educators might wish to engage parents in the
following reflection:
PARENT QUESTIONNAIRE
Was
your child excited about searching for labels? _______________________________
Did
he/she tell you the reason for this search? __________________________________
What
reason did he/she give? _______________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
What
did you discover about the labels you collected at home? _____________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
What
country did most of the labels collected come from? _________________________
Were
you aware of child laborers in other countries?
_____________________________
What
is your reaction to children in other countries working? ______________________
________________________________________________________________________
Is
there anything that you feel you can do to address this issue? If so, what? __________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Thank
you for taking time to complete this questionnaire. Please have your child return it
either to the next religious
education class or to school the next day.
4. Intermediate Grades and Middle
School
Meet Albina, A Sweatshop Worker
Activities for teaching about
Sweatshops
Lesson Plan to accompany “That’s
Not Fair!”
The “I” of the Needle – A Play
Working With Youth On Labor Rights
Issues
MEET ALBINA, A SWEATSHOP WORKER
My name is Albina. I am seventeen years old and I work in a
sweatshop in
We work from 8 am until
noon. Then we have 30 minutes for lunch. Then we work again until 6 pm or later. When I’m finished at work, I’m usually too
tired to read or to study English.
In my factory we make
blouses, dresses and jackets. My job is
to cut all of the loose threads from garment after it is made, and to sew in
the lining. If I work really fast I can
finish 3,000 garments in a 10 hour day.
That’s 300 in one hour! And I can
make about $35 a day. It is not even the
minimum wage.
The factory is very hot
during the summer and cold during the winter.
Especially on the weekends when they don’t turn the heat on. We have to work in our coats and gloves. Even with gloves, my hands turn blue by the
end of the day.
We never get any days off or
holidays. Sometimes, if it’s really
busy, we even have to work on Christmas and Easter. Once we had to stay all night long, working,
to finish an order. If you are sick, you
still have to go to work. Because if you
don’t come to work, the boss might give your job to someone else.
Last year all of the workers
in my factory got together and asked that the boss pay us the minimum
wage. The boss agreed, but then two
weeks later he disappeared, owing us money.
The factory was shut down and all of the workers had to find new jobs.
ACTIVITIES FOR TEACHING ABOUT
SWEATSHOPS
Nike
By Connie
Molbeck (Numbers updated by Jessica Todryk)
Materials: two metal bowls (coffee cans will work) and
1000 BB’s.
- Drop one BB into the
empty can and say, “This is the sound of LeBron James earning $13 million
a year for advertising NIKE shoes.” (7-year $90 million contract.)
- Begin pouring the 1000
BB’s back and forth from can to can, asking if you pour them 100 times
what it would be the sound of. (The
first time I saw this done, at a Sojourner anniversary conference, the
presenter actually poured them 100 times and I though it got a little
long, esp. with a young audience, which I often have.) You can carry on a discussion while
pouring, asking what it is the sound of.
- The answer is the
100,000 women in
CEO Wages
By Connie Molbeck (Numbers updated by Jessica Todryk)
Materials: String cut into pieces as described
below. I store each string in a baggie
with a note card of explanation. The
numbers I have are for 2001, when I went to Sojofest and came home and cut the string. If you can find updated numbers, use them.
- Explain that each
one-inch of string equals $1000 of income.
Have one person come up front and hold up an 11-inch string, which
is one person working full time for minimum wage.
- The next person holds
up an 18-inch string, which was the 2001 baseline poverty level for a
family of four. ($18,000) Talk about the gap for one wage earner
trying to support a family.
- Hold up a 35-inch
string, the median family income in the
- Hold up a 140-foot
string, representing the $1,700,000 average CEO income in 1965. If anyone wants to unravel it they
can. At Sojourner we were in a room
with 2 doors and they wound these around the room, out one door, down the
hallway, and back into the room.
Usually I just have someone hold up the wadded mess.
- Have someone hold up a
string 419 feet long to represent the average CEO salary in 2001;
$5,028,000.
- Just for effect, I
save this one for last. Hold up a
one-inch string, the average sweatshop worker globally earns about $1000 a
year. Many earn less.
Math activity: Students Create Own Graphs
In the production of a $100
garment:
·
the retailer gets
50%
·
the manufacturer
gets 35%
·
the contractor
gets 10%
·
the seamstress
gets 5%
The students could create a
circle graph to demonstrate the data as parts of a whole. The following
calculations need to be made to determine the degrees and then a circle graph
is created. (/ means division)
50 / 100 (360) = 180 degrees
35 / 100 (360) = 126 degrees
Retailer 50%
10 / 100 (360) = 36 degrees
5 / 100 (360) = 18 degrees
THE REAL PRICE OF A $100 SHOE
produced by the Maquila Solidarity Network
www.web.net/~msn *
e-mail: perg@web.net
A SCAVENGER HUNT
Student Page followed by Teacher Guide
“Sweatshops
in
Student Page
Log
onto http://www.americanhistory.si.edu. Go to the Search Site. Type “Sweatshop” and view the virtual exhibit
at the
- When was the term sweatshop
first used?
- What significant event
took place in
- Who are the “New
Sweatshop Workers”?
- How did Disney
Shareholders address the sweatshop production of 101 Dalmatian pajamas?
- What has
- In 1996, what is the
estimated global production of apparel?
- Bonus Question: What are the advantages and
disadvantages of domestic production?
“Sweatshops
in
Teacher’s Guide
Log ont the
- When was
the term sweatshop first used?
The
term “sweatshop” was first used in the late 19th century to describe
aspects of the tailoring trade, but sweatshop conditions exist in other
industries as well. The forces that
promote sweatshop production have always been varied. Some shops are the result of greed and
opportunism; others stem from competitive pressures.
- What
significant event took place in
On
August 2, 1995, a multi-agency task force led by the California Department of
Industrial Relations raided a fenced seven-unit apartment complex in
Law
enforcement officers arrested eight operators of a Chinese-Thai family-owned
garment sweatshop and freed 72 illegal Thai immigrants. The workers, most of them women, had been
held in virtual slavery behind fences tipped with razor wire and forced to sew
garments in conditions significantly worse than those found in most sweatshops.
- Who are
the “New Sweatshop Workers?”
The
New Sweatshop Worker -- Immigrants continue to power the
As
in earlier times, current American sweatshop workers tend to be immigrants
(legal and illegal) seeking economic opportunity and political freedom. Desperate for work and primarily women, these
workers become easy prey for unscrupulous employers.
- How did
Disney Shareholders address the sweatshop production of 101 Dalmatian pajamas?
Disney
shareholder resolution, September 12, 1996
Activists and concerned
citizens seeking to curb sweatshop production have copied some of the tactics
pioneered in the fight against racism in
At the Walt Disney Company’s
1997 annual meeting, Progressive Asset Management, Inc., brought to a vote a
shareholder resolution governing suppliers’ labor practices. Although the resolution did not pass, it
received surprisingly strong shareholder support (39) million shares or 8.3
percent). Subsequently, Disney pledged
to issue and post a contractor code of conduct and authorize audits and
inspections of all contract facilities.
Disney garment contractor H.H. Cutler then pulled out of production in
According to the National
Labor Committee, Haitian workers were paid seven cents (or 42 cents per hour)
for every $19.99 pair of 101 Dalmatians
pajamas sold.
LESSON PLAN TO ACCOMPANY “That’s
Not Fair!”
For
those using “That’s Not Fair!”* this lesson plan prepared by Jeff Danner
will introduce your students to Sweatshops and invite them to use the Clean Clothes Campaign as their social
justice issue.
*That’s
not Fair! is the name of a curriculum on Catholic Social Teaching for young
teens in Catholic schools (or parish
programs) in grades 6, 7, or 8. You can purchase a That’s Not Fair!
program binder from: Bishop Sullivan Center;
Visit www.bishiopsullivan.org
or email Tom Turner: tturner@bishopsullivan.org
I.
Preparation/Materials
Read through the entire
lesson plan.
Deck of cards
Play money (Monopoly?)
Paper/Pencil for each
student
Encyclopedia volume (or other book) for each student
Stop watch
Board or other games
(optional)
Prizes (optional)
II.
Lesson objective – To introduce what
sweatshops are and to inspire an initial Christian response to this injustice.
III. The
Lesson
A.
Distribute playing cards to students.
Approximately 25% of the class should receive a face card, including at
least 1 King, 1 Queen, & 1 Jack. The
rest receive a number card, including at least 2 Aces and 1 each of all the
other numbers.
[Students should recall from the “M&M Game”
that the face cards represent the “Haves” while the number cards represent the
“Have-Nots”; It should be explained to students that approximately 75% of the
world’s population live in 3rd-world countries who possess less than
25% of the world’s recourses.]
B.
Those with face-cards should be separated somehow from the rest.
C.
All students should be given a volume of an encyclopedia (or some other
book) and have paper & pencil ready.
D.
Say to the students: “The next 14 minutes will represent your waking
hours during a typical 7-day week; thus each minute represents roughly 8
hours. When I say ‘Begin!’, you are to
start copying word for word from the encyclopedia. You cannot stop until I say you may. You must write neatly, and you must copy as
much as possible during the time given.
However, those with face cards may use their normal writing hand, but those
with number cards must use their unnatural hand! In other words, if you normally are
right-handed, you must do your copying with your left. Recall however the rule that you must write
neatly and complete as much as possible.”
E.
“Anyone with a King, however, need not do the copying. You are on ‘vacation’ and may do whatever you
wish during this time (read, board game, bathroom break, &c.)”
F.
Discover who has a Queen – Instruct them privately to ask to go to the
bathroom after about a minute, but to return in about a minute to continue
copying. Should a Jack ask to go during
the copying time, allow them also to go, but no one with a number card should be allowed to go.
G.
“Are there any questions?” (Pause for questions.) Then: “You may begin.” (Start the stop-watch running.) Students should begin copying.
H.
After 5 minutes, instruct the
I.
During the entire copying time, the teacher must walk around and keep on
those with number cards to continue copying (much & neatly!), and yell at
times at them to do so. Punish one or
two students somehow, even if they are doing as instructed. (For example, give them a very tiny pencil to
write with, or threaten them with extra copy time when the others are finished,
or some other creative punishment.)
J.
After 13 minutes, instruct the others that they now may stop. They may not
play any games, but should sit quietly in their seats for the final minute.
K.
After 14 minutes, have all students return to their seats.
L.
Pay their wages! Those with face cards, including
the Kings, should receive $206 –
This is gross pay for 40 hours at current (2004) minimum wage ($5.15/hr.). Those with number cards should be paid as
follows:
1)
2s – 5s = $5 [4 cents/hr. as in
2)
6s – 10s = $21 [20 cents/hr. as in
3)
Aces = $0 [Explain to the class that the Aces
represent the
unemployed working hard to find a job and just exist.]
[M. Optional prizes – Although not
necessary, some cool food, pens, pencils, and other items could be priced in
such a way that those with face cards could buy a few things, while those with
number cards hardly any. Although the
messages of the lesson will no doubt be learned without this step, it will
reinforce them and is certainly consistent with the visceral learning
experiences of “That’s Not Fair!” J ]
IV. Debriefing [This could be done during a follow-up
class, depending on time.]
A.
“How did it feel just doing all the copying?”
Elicit – boring, tedious, uncreative
Teach – Much work in sweatshops is like
this.
B.
“How did it feel writing with the unnatural hand?”
Elicit – awkward, more difficult, hard
Teach – Sweatshops typically involve poor,
difficult working conditions.
C.
“How did it feel to be yelled at or punished for no reason?”
Elicit – degrading, unfair, humiliating
Teach – Sweatshop workers are often subject
to arbitrary discipline.
D.
“ How did you Kings feel to be on ‘vacation’ and still get paid?” “To all of you, why are vacations important?”
Elicit – To refresh oneself, to recreate
(“re-create”)
“Why are paid
vacations important?”
Elicit – So that one is not
penalized for the natural, human need to have
some
time off, to be refreshed.
Teach – Sweatshops rarely
give benefits such as paid vacations, paid sick
days,
overtime pay, &c.
E.
“What comments do you have about the lengths of time worked?”
Elicit – Number cards had to work much
longer.
“Why is off-time, leisure
time important?”
Elicit – So that one can get
other things done necessary for daily living,
family
responsibilities, rest, recreation, &c.
Teach – Sweatshops can
require 15 hour work days or more; a 40-hour
work
week is not respected, thus leaing little to no time for
other needs, family, recreation, sleep (!),
&c.
F.
“Why is having a rest room break important?”
Elicit – Natural needs don’t cease during
the work day.
Teach – Sweatshops often don’t allow or
highly regulate rest room breaks.
G.
“What comments can you make about the different wages received?”
Elicit – Number cards worked much
longer for much less pay!
Teach – Sweatshops pay radically below a
living, decent wage.
H.
“Although not saying it would be okay, what might some (though not all
or even a majority) of the “Have-nots” and unemployed (Aces) resort to in order
to improve their situation?”
Elicit – Drugs, alcohol, crime,
prostitution, &c. – “Why?” – To
get what
they
can’t through work, to escape their misery, &c.
Teach – Such activities are often higher
among the poor & needy.
V.
Summary – Definition of a
“Sweatshop”
“How do you think the actual word,
“Sweatshop” came about? Why do you think people would start to call certain
places “Sweatshops”?
Elicit – lots of machinery, poor air
ventilation (certainly no air
conditioning!), very hot and uncomfortable,
people there would be
sweating as they worked…
Teach – 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 paycheck. Worker abuses can include unsafe or
life-threatening working conditions, physical punishment, emotional
humiliation
and the use of child labor.
VI.
“What should be the Christian response to sweatshops?”
Elicit – Fight for justice, fair labor
practices, economic treaties that respect human
rights,
etc.
Teach – From
This lesson could be
followed up with the power point presentation “Sweatshops 101.”
You will find it at
http://www.archmil.org/aboutus/ShowResource.asp?ID=147
THE GLOBAL PRODUCTION GAME!
Be
a detective! Discover the origins of the
clothes in your closet. Look at the
tags. Identify the countries where the
clothes were made. Can you locate those
countries on a map? Make a list of the
countries that you found.
What
do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of producing in those
different countries?
Can
you find a label from a really small country?
Can
you find a label from a country that you didn’t think manufactured clothes?
Send your findings to:
Global Production Game
MRC 629 Dept. A
Smithsonian Institution
Source: http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/sweatshops/ffchain/game
(You may wish to send the
following page home for parent participation)
PARENT
QUESTIONNAIRE
Was
your child excited about searching for labels? _______________________________
Did
he/she tell you the reason for this search? __________________________________
What
reason did he/she give? _______________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
What
did you discover about the labels you collected at home? _____________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
What
country did most of the labels collected come from? _________________________
Were
you aware of child laborers in other countries? _____________________________
What
is your reaction to children in other countries working? ______________________
________________________________________________________________________
Is
there anything that you feel you can do to address this issue? If so, what? __________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Thank
you for taking time to complete this questionnaire. Please have your child return it
to
school tomorrow.
The “I” of the Needle – A Play
Written
by Jill Rauh
“The kind of fasting I want is this: remove the
chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free.”
Isaiah 58:6
Solidarity helps us to see the “other” – whether a
person, people or nation – not just as some kind of instrument, with a work
capacity and physical strength to be exploited at low cost and then discarded when
no longer useful, but as our “neighbor,” a “helper,” to be made a sharer, on a
par with ourselves, in the banquet of life to which all are equally invited by
God.
(Pope John Paul II, On Social Concern n. 39)
The “I” of the Needle
Characters:
10 sweatshop workers (Pari, and
Workers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9)
8 models (Models 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, and 8)
4 PICKETERS
Mr. Brunto
Back insider factory worker
Thug
Announcer
Props:
2 long tables
10 sewing machines
Piles of clothes
Fashionable clothing for the 8 models
Set-up:
The 2 long tables are positioned in
a “V” with one end of each table near back-center stage, and the other ends at
left-front and right-front. One table is
a sweatshop assembly line, with 10 sewing machines and clothes on it. The other is a model runway and can be
decorated as such. The sweatshop workers
begin at the back of the audience, the models are backstage, and Mr. Brunto is
pacing back and forth on stage, looking at his watch.
(Sweatshop
workers 1 through 9 and Pari enter from the back
of the room and hurry together through the center aisle of the audience,
towards the stage.)
Worker
1: What a terrible night we had!
Worker
23: I’ve never seen such terrible rain.
Worker
3: I’ve never seen the roofs of our houses
cave in so easily as they did last night!
I know cardboard isn’t the same stuff as wood, but it is usually more
durable.
Pari: Don’t speak of the terrible night; speak of
the terrible morning we are going to have if we don’t make it to work on time.
Worker
4: Mr. Brunto will dock our first hour
of pay for sure.
Worker
5: But he certainly must
understand! It isn’t our fault that the
shacks all caved in, or that we had to spend the rest of the morning drying our
rice – it’s all we have to eat this week!
Worker
1: You’re still new at this factory –
you don’t know Mr. Brunto.
Worker
6: Mr. Brunto will take our pay for
sure, and did you hear that woman showing her bruise last week? She says it was from Mr. Brunto.
Worker
5: But look! Here’s the factory, and we must only be a few
minutes late! For having to walk an
hour, and through all this mud, I think he’ll understand!
Mr.
Brunto: (storms angrily towards the
women): You! You are late!
It is seven minutes past six
o’clock. Do you think you are different
than all these other workers who are here on time? I could replace you this minute! I could fire you lazy workers!
Worker
7: (falling on her knees) Oh, please,
Mr. Brunto! Please, we beg you, if I
don’t bring this money home, my little brothers and sisters will starve!
Worker
8: My family won’t be able to eat!
(The
rest of the workers chorus in:
“Please! Please! Please, Mr. Brunto!” and etc.)
Mr.
Brunto: This is your only warning. Get to your work stations. And don’t expect to be paid for this first
hour.
(The
workers assemble at the sewing machines and begin working. Worker 9 is seated at the end of the table,
then 8, then 7, then 6 and so on. Back
Insider factory worker comes from back stage carrying a large armful of
cloth. She looks, walks slower as she
passes the table and tries to whisper inconspicuously to Worker 9 at the end of
the table…)
Back
insider: Did you hear the bad news?
Worker
9: Oh no.
Back
Insider: Eight tonight. All day tomorrow.
(She
exits abruptly and the workers pass the message on in soft dialogue)
Worker
9: (to Worker 8): Eight tonight. All day tomorrow.
Worker
8: (to Worker 7): Eight tonight. All day tomorrow.
Worker
7: (to Worker 6): Eight tonight. All day tomorrow.
Worker
6: (to Worker 5): Eight tonight. All day tomorrow.
Worker
5: (questioning 6) Eight tonight? That’s (thinks for a moment, then speaks
loudly) fourteen hours!
Worker
6: That’s life, honey.
(From
backstage, Mr. Brunto shouts…)
Mr.
Brunto: Quiet on line 25!
(They
work in silence.)
Worker
5: (whispering to 6) Did you say we work
tomorrow?
Worker
6: Yes!
Worker
5: That Sunday!
Worker6: (hisses in quiet irritation) I know.
Worker
5: Don’t we get any days off? We’ve already worked at least 10 hours every
day! Do we get paid extra for Sunday?
Worker
6: No!
You just do it! You don’t
complain, you don’t ask questions! You
be quiet or else –
(Mr.
Brunto storms in angrily from backstage.)
Mr.
Brunto: There are 300 workers in this
factory. Why is Line 25 the source of
all the problems? I should just fire all
–
Worker
5: (interrupting him) Sir! I’m sorry!
I’m new, I have to go to the bathroom and I was asking how –
Mr.
Brunto: (interrupts her) THERE ARE NO
BATHROOM VISITS! Work! If I hear another word from any of you, you’re gone! (Picks up the garment Worker 4 is
sewing.) Do you call this a seam? (Shouting right in her face) Don’t you know how to sew? (Pointing)
That rat could sew better than you!
I have a right mind to – (listens for a minute) What’s that?
(From
offstage, two factory workers picketers are shouting, at first soft, but
getting louder and louder…)
Picketer
One: Pay us a living wage! Eight cents does not feed my family!
Picketer
Two: Five day work weeks, not seven!
Picketer
Three: Eight hour days, not ten!
Picketer
Four: Give us the overtime pay we
deserve!
(Mr.
Brunto opens the door to look out, and the picketers come in carrying signs.)
All
Picketers together: We are people! Treat us better:
(Mr.
Brunto whistles. Thug enters from
offstage, and Mr. Brunto hands him money.
Thug roughs the picketers and leads them away, followed by Mr. Brunto. Picket signs are left on the ground.)
Worker
Three:” (to Worker 2) What was that all about?
Worker
Two: I have no idea.
(Pari’s
monologue occurs. As she speaks, she
continues to work at her sewing machine, since most of the monologue is her
inner thoughts. She is sewing socks.)
Pari: (monologue)
Stamp.
The metal arm goes up, comes down.
Stamp.
My fingers – numb – move quickly. They must
move quickly. Faster means I will eat
tonight. Slower – oh how my head swims
with exhaustion – means a blow to the head, a deeper hunger tonight, a shout in
my ear: faster! So quickly I move, but
my heart is dead inside.
Stamp.
With each Stamp the needle comes down – a soft
sound, I know, but an explosion in my head!
As this tenth hour of sitting comes to an end, I am so sick of the
needle smashing through the cloth.
Somewhere, I know, some rich child will wear these colorful socks on their feet.
My children are at home and they are barefoot. In our worker “village”, where the beds
aren’t enough to all sleep in, and the leaky roofs aren’t enough to stop the
rain from coming through, and the space isn’t enough for cooking or bathing or
going to the bathroom in privacy, and the money isn’t enough, so that dinner
isn’t enough, and what will my family eat for dinner tonight? Will my little Roshi ever grow taller, or
will he forever be little, like the little pile of rice I pour on his plate,
and he eats them up in a hurry and stares at me for more, but I have no more to
give? What are little Roshi, and Nike,
and Lani doing right now? I wish I could
caress you, my children, but I have left before dawn and will not return until
the moon is high up in the sky and do you still know your mother? Oh God, let them not be playing in the dump
next to our shack, or the sewage gutters behind it – oh, let them just play
with the stones on the ground!
Oh, how quickly my heart beats!
Mr. Brunto says I will have to bring them here
soon, to work. If only they were
bigger…Mr. Brunto says to let them work.
Bring your children, Mr. Brunto says, and then you can eat more. Bring them here, to me.
Here! Work
here! Here? No, no, no I will not let them come to the
clanging machinery where first their little precious fingers might be lost, but
then their minds, their dignity, their children’s dream will surely be
lost. I will not let them work with the
sticky, smelly glue that makes you crouch over the toilet hole all night
long. I will not let them be lost in
this world of burning plastic and stomping machines and needles that puncture
both the cloth and our souls! I will not
do it! We are not humans here, but
dogs! We are not people, but objects to
produce, and when we don’t do enough, they yell. We deserve more than the shacks, the filth,
the hunger in our stomachs. We are
people! Line manager, Mr. Brunto, we are
people, do you hear me? We are
people! I must tell you, we are
people! You must see we are people. ({Pari is unsure, and speaks the next 3 lines
questioningly, then resumes her courage.)
We are peple? What could a
flashing little Indonesian woman do? He
would laugh, or snort, and yell me back to line.
He might cut my wages, punish my family, but he
can’t hurt my soul. I am woman. I am human.
I must stop this.
(Pari
stands up, speaking “out loud” for the first time/)
Sir?
(Mr.
Brunto comes, towers over her menacingly.
Pari, intimidated, sits down quickly and begins to quickly work,
mumbling an “I’m sorry, never mind.” The
next two lines are said into the microphone, but are directed towards her own
mind, not Mr. Brunto.)
Stamp. Stamp.
Help me.
(Sweatshop
workers freeze, with heads down and eyes averted, and all is silent for 5 long
seconds. Suddenly, Brittany Spears music
blasts through the silence, and the models burst out from backstage and enter
the runway one at a time, modeling their clothes to the audience. As each comes out on stage, an announcer,
standing beside the runway, comments on the fashions and the reasonable costs
at which they are available. After all
eight models have modeled their clothes and gone backstage, the music dies down
and the announcer exits. The models come
out from backstage with purses and bags, as if leaving, and one of the models,
Model 6, is carryi9ng a backpack. They
are still dressed in their “model” clothes.)
Model
1: What a great show! I think the audience really loved this
sweater.
Model
2: Yeah – where’s it from?
Model
1: Old Navy
Model
4: Yeah?
So’s this skirt! I can’t believe
how cheap they were! I really couldn’t
afford it otherwise.
Model
3: So where are you guys off to now?
Model
4: We’re going to Kopp’s, and then
shopping.
Model
6: I have to study, unfortunately. Big test tomorrow.
(Model
6 sits at the runway, now a table, facing away
from the sweatshop workers, and begins studying.)
Model
7: I’m actually going to a club meeting
with one of my friends – it’s called, um, “Social Justice” club, I think? I don’t really know what it is, but is sounds
interesting.
Model
5: Well have fun, bye guys!
(All
the Models (Except Model 6, who is studying) say goodbye and leave. Model 7 exits out a different door than
everyone else, and she will come back in that door later.)
(While
the Workers at the table and Model remain on stage, frozen, 2 video clips are
shown: First, MCL El Salvador documentary interviewing a real worker about
conditions, and secondly, a clip from “The Big One” interviewing Phil Knight
about 14 year old Nike workers.
At
some point during the clips, the two sweatshop workers closest to offstage
leave quietly and position themselves backstage. The Models (except 6 and 7) line up
backstage, with the two sweatshop workers at the end of their line.
After
the clips, the sweatshop workers begin to work again, and the sounds of
sweatshops can be heard. At the same
time, the Runway music begins again, and the models begin to come out, while
Model 6 continues to study, not paying attention to either group. The announcer comments on the clothes the
models wear. After Models 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
and 8 have modeled, the two sweatshop workers come out as the last models.)
Announcer: And now, this is the cheapest and most
versatile product on the market: “sweaters!”
You’ll never pay less for anything more durable. (etc.)
(Suddenly,
Model 7 bursts through the side door.)
Model
7: Stop! Stop, it, now!
(The
music dies down and the other models come our.)
Model
7: Can’t you see we’re exploiting
them? These workers are people! (She gestures towards the two “sweaters” and
the models at the work table. She shakes
Model 6 on the shoulders.) Can’t you see
what we’re doing?
(She
stands apart from them and speaks.)
Model
7: I just learned something terrible at
my meeting! We want cheap clothes, but
this isn’t the way to do it! These
workers, they work long hours, and they don’t get paid enough to live on! (Add other facts here.)
Model
8: That’s terrible, but what can we do
about it? We’re in
Model
4: I know what we can do.
(Two
Models go the talk to the sweatshop workers.
Two pick up the picket signs.
Model 6 and one of the “sweaters” begin to write letters, using paper
from Model 6’s backpack. Two begin to
talk with the supervisor. A model and
the other “sweater” begin to pass out “clean clothes” pamphlets to the
audience. At the same time, an
“inspiring song” begins to play. Recommended
song: Kathy Triccoli’s “Go Light Your
World.”)
The
End
WORD CONNECTIONS
Word
Connections
Ask
students or appoint students to small groups (2-3). Small groups facilitate that possibility for
everyone to express himself / herself.
Distribute list of five word / phrases to each group. You may wish to add others which you have
used as part of your unit. You may also
dismiss words you did not use.
Communicate directions orally and in writing to each group.
Your
explanation can go like this. This
activity will assess your comprehension, critical thinking skills, and
communication skills. Each group has
received a list of words / phrases from our unit. Each group is asked to make connections
between these words.
The
teacher can assess the following:
1.
Demonstration of an understanding of each word’s meaning.
2.
Demonstration of critical thinking involved in explaining how these
words relate.
3.
Demonstration of specific examples from the student’s learning used as
clarification.
4. Demonstration
of participation by each member of the group.
Word
Connections
List of phrases / words
for
Students
|
sweatshop benefits abusive
working conditions exploitation women |
children unfair
pay misleading
advertisement forced
labor |
|
shipped
duty free federal
Fir Labor Standards Act freedom unions |
living
wage Universal
Declaration of Human Rights Labor
laws discipleship justice |
|
consumer General
Accounting Office good
steward owner,
manager, investor citizen |
vendor Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) dignity respect greed |
|
children forced
labor unions respect Labor
Laws |
unfair
pay dignity living
wage women |
|
greed unions. benefits discipleship |
justice sweatshop misleading
advertisement shipped
duty free good
steward |
|
vendor General
Accounting Office Universal
Declaration of Human Rights owner,
manager, investor citizen |
|
WORKING WITH YOUTH ON LABOR RIGHTS
ISSUES
(Instructions:
This is an activity that involves students in writing or making an action plan
about Nike’s practices with the poor.)
Working
With Youth On Labor Rights Issues
a
report by Michael Gitelson
The
For a long time we had been concerned about the
fact that many of the young people in our neighborhood wear Nike sneakers. The sneakers are obviously over-priced and the
financial strain on many of the parents we see here also is obvious.
When we found out about Nike’s labor practices in
places like
Some of the children wanted
to do more. We are working on having a
demonstration at Nike town in
High School and Up
Many of the activities described above are suitable
for older participants:
A Scavenger Hunt
Lesson Plan to accompany
“That’s Not Fair!”
The Global Production Game!
The “I” of the Needle – A
Play
Word
Connections
Working With Youth On Labor Rights Issues
Here are
additional resources that will assist in educating youth, young adults and
adults:
Interactive
Workshop
Readings
Sweatshop
Bingo
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP
Created by Maryknoll Lay
Missioners
STATION
#1: WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES MADE?
INTERACTIVE
SWEATSHOP
PREPARATION:
I.
Post
a large 4’ x 5’ map of the globe on two display boards duct taped together.
II.
Put
Station title at top of display board: “ WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES MADE?”
III.
Attach
Nike Swoosh logo: “Endorse SWEATSHOPS: Poverty is Awesome”
IV.
Attach
several “Company Profiles + Sweatshop Files” on the map near the countries
where the sweatshops exist (go to: www.behindthelabel.org
and click sweatshop)
V.
Post
“Sample of Starvation Wages Around the World” and “CEO Compensation (see
attachment)
VI.
Post
Wal-Mart Sweatshops around the World info (go to: www.maquilasolidarity.org/campaigns/wal-mart/record
VII.
Post
stick pin flags on the map in the countries where the sweatshops are located
around the world.
EVENT ACTIVITY:
I.
Greet
students and invite them to participate in the interactive sweatshop
II.
Have
them look at the labels on their clothes and shoes
III.
Have
them put a colored pin on the map where their clothes/shoes are made
IV.
Be
present to them as they look at the information on the map
V.
Invite
them to go to the next 3 Stations
STATION
#2: WHO MAKES
YOUR CLOTHES?
INTERACTIVE
SWEATSHOP
PREPARATION:
I.
Prepare a 30-40 slide PowerPoint slide presentation with faces from
around the world, information about who makes your clothes, the conditions of
the sweatshops, wages, etc. (please let me know if you would like a copy of
this Powerpoint presentation)
EVENT ACTIVITY:
I.
Have the PowerPoint slide show running automatically so participants can
watch it without having to turn it on.
II.
Answer questions participants have re: slide show and/or process
reactions
III.
Invite participants to Station #3
STATION
#3: WHAT WOULD
JESUS DO?
INTERACTIVE
SWEATSHOP MATERIALS
PREPARATION:
I.
Tape the Maryknoll Jesus icon on butcher paper creating a graffiti wall.
II.
Have a candle lit at the bottom of the wall and markers out for writing
on the wall.
III.
Have Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers and Corporate Responsibility
handouts (www.educationforjustice.org)
IV.
Have the Development of Catholic Social Teaching handout (same as above)
EVENT ACTIVITY:
I.
Invite
participants to write a response (with colored markers) to what they have seen,
read, and heard in Stations #1,,#2, and #3 on the graffiti wall.
II.
Invite participants to take the handouts with them for reference
STATION
#4: WHAT CAN YOU DO?
INTERACTIVE
SWEATSHOP
PREPARATION:
I.
Create resources for
participates to take with them:
1)
Tools for Action—resource sheets #1 (see Tools for Action attachment)
2)
Socially Responsible Shopping Guide—resource sheet #2 (front-side—see attachment)
3)
Purchase from Alternative Trading Sources—resource sheet #2
(backside—see attachment)
4)
Sweatshop Website Links—resource sheet #3 (see attachment)
II.
Prepare “Actions” to do at
the event:
a.
Wal-Mart Letter Campaign—letters to Mr. Lee Scott, Jr. (see Wal-Mart
attachment)
b.
Wal-Mart’s Fabric of Global Poverty—www.walmartwatch.com
c.
A petition to the President and Congress + signatures from the Campaign
for the Abolition of Sweatshops and Child Labor: www.abolishsweatshops.org (see
attachment)
d.
Stop Sweatshops! Commitment Pledge card to become more informed about
sweatshop realities and to take specific actions. (see attachment)
III.
Create a Station #4 display
board:
a.
On a black, fold-out display board, create a visually attractive display
with the following:
i.
Make 8 ½ x 11 poster: What will You Do?
(Station #4 title)
ii.
Make 11 x 14 poster: When Young
People Join Together in a Righteous Cause, They
can do Powerful Things
iii.
Write “Get Involved” and
attach Tools
for Action guide below (w/please
take one with arrow pointing down at table)
iv.
Make 8 ½ x 11 poster: Support Fair Trade not Free
Trade
v.
Attach Purchase
from Alternative Trading Sources list (with resource guide on table)
vi.
Attach What
Labels Mean: Socially Responsible Shopping Guide (have pictures and
explanation of labels with shopping guide on table)
vii.
Attach request to sign Petition
to end Sweatshops (with petition on table below)
viii.
Include 3-4 faces of men, women, and children from different continent
IV.
Download and print “Display
Only” information:
a.
Wal-Mart Watch: Stitch in Misery--explanation for letter campaign
http://www.walmartwatch.com/bad/?subsection_id=108
b.
Most Frequent Questions on Sweatshops
c.
United Students Against
Sweatshops Information: www.studentsagainstsweatshops.org
d.
Apparel Wages Around the World and Living Wage comparisons www.nlenet.org
e.
US Retailers: Responsible for the
Global Sweatshop Crisis: www.behindthelabels.com
f.
Behind the labels materials: www.behindthelabels.org
g.
Clean Clothes Campaign—companies using sweatshop labor
V.
Prepare other materials and
resources:
a.
Make large poster congratulating CAL POLY for being a “United Students
Against Sweatshops” affiliate school!!
b.
Bring MMAF El Salvadoran blue
prayer cards
c.
Fair trade coffee for sale (from
former Maryknollers, Greg and Rosalie Rienzo)
d.
Bring MMAF welcome magazines, Recruitment brochures, Maryknoll website
cards, and other recruitment materials
e.
Bring a notepad to have participants sign their name, address, and email
if they are interested in mission or want to receive additional MMAF info
EVENT ACTIVITY
1)
Be present to participants reading the display
2)
Point out concrete actions they can do there:
i.
Sign petition
ii.
Sign letter to Wal-Mart
iii.
Sign commitment card
iv.
Purchase Fair Trade Coffee
3)
Point out Tools of Action, Sweatshop Links, and Alternative Purchasing
resources they can take with them
4)
Refer them to display materials
5)
Talk with participants about Maryknoll Mission and hand out MMAF
materials to interested participants and have them sign their names, address,
email on notepad.
READINGS
A Worker Reads History
by Bertolt Brecht
Who
built the seven gates of
The
books are filled with names of kings.
Was
it kings who hauled the craggy blocks of stone?...
In
the evening when the Chinese wall was finished
Where
did the masons go?
Imperial
Is
full of arcs of triumph. Who reared them
up?...
Young
Alexander conquered
He
alone?
Caesar
beat the Gauls.
Was
there not even a cook in his army?...
Each
page a victory.
At
whose expense the victory ball?
Every
ten years a great man.
Who
paid the piper?
Masks
By Cameron Robinson (high school
student)
Michael
Jordan soars through the air
on shoes of unpaid labor.
A
boy kicks a soccer ball,
the bloody hands are forgotten.
An
excited girl combs the hair of her Barbie,
an overworked girl makes it.
A
child receives a teddy bear,
Made in
The
words “hand made” are printed,
whose hands were used to make them?
A
six year old in
starts his first day of school.
A
six year old in
starts his first day of work.
They
want us to see the ball,
not to see the millions of ball
stitchers.
The
world is full of many masks,
the hard part is seeing beneath
them.
TWO YOUNG WOMEN
By Diedre Barry
(to
be read aloud by two people)
I’m
18 and years older than that.
I’m 18 and I can’t believe I’m that
old.
I
get up before sunrise, because I have to be at work.
I get up at 6 because I need time to
do my hair and makeup before school.
I
walk 2 miles to work, the blisters on my feet open from wear.
I drive to school and walk
carefully, because I need to keep my shoes clean.
I
spend my day inside a factory, with hundreds of other girls, unable to take
breaks, and unable to leave.
I spend my day in classes, wanting
only to get out.
I
would give anything to go to school, to learn, to be able to get somewhere in
life.
I would give anything to be done
with school. Who cares anyway?
I
would quit, but I can’t. I have parent,
brothers and sisters to support, and jobs are hard to find.
I would drop out but my parents
would be so angry.
At
4:00 we get a five-minute break for water, then it’s back for more work.
At 3:30 we get out, and I head for
basketball practice.
I
sew the Swoosh on, time after time, hour after hour, until my fingers bleed,
and my knuckles ache.
I lace up my Nikes, my new ones.
I
earn barely enough to live, and not even nearly enough to help my family. I get paid per pair, and I can only make so
many.
These cost me $130 and everyone has
several pairs.
My
lungs burn with every breath, and I cough up dust every night when I get home.
My lungs sear as I run up and down the court, but I
know it only makes me stronger.
I
sew pair after pair, trying to earn enough to buy food and clothes.
These shoes hurt my feet. I think I’ll buy a new pair.
I
go home and cry. I want out, but it’s
such a vicious cycle. I work to get out,
but I always need to work a little more before I have enough.
I go home and lie on my
waterbed. I can’t wait till
college. I can get out.
Diedre Barry was an 11th
grade student at Franklin High School in Portland,
SWEATSHOP BINGO
Description:
This
variation on “Bingo” was adapted in
How to do the exercise:
v
Brief participants on how to play the game.
v
Participants collect signatures from people who can answer “YES” to
questions in the squares. (Collect two signatures per person, and then move to
another person.)
v
The first person to fill in a complete row or column yells “Bingo!”
Notes:
·
Great ice-breaker.
·
Useful exercise for introducing participants to each other.
·
Fun, quick and gets participants moving.
·
Teachers: clarifying comments about the questions will be found on the TEACHER AID following the Bingo Card
Sweatshop
Bingo Card
Collect
signatures from people who can answer “YES” to questions in the squares. Note:
you may not collect more than 2 signatures from the same person. When you fill
in a complete row or column, yell “Bingo!”
|
Speaks in more than one
language |
Knows what ‘ILO’ means |
Can name 5 popular brand
names |
Is tired of paying high
prices for brand names |
Would like to get active
in stop sweatshops campaigning |
|
Is involved in other
social justice activism |
Works in a retail store |
Knows what “manquila”
means |
Can name a popular brand
known for using sweatshop labour |
Can name a country where
Nike shoes are made |
|
Knows what a sweatshop is |
Can name a celebrity
sponsor for a brand name company |
Has written a letter
supporting a campaign against sweatshops |
Has lived in more than
one country |
Knows what a corporate
code of conduct is |
|
Has bought brand name
running shoes |
Know who Phil Knight is |
Know what MSN stands for |
Has attended a workshop
on sweatshops |
Has worked in a sweatshop |
|
Can name a union that
organizes home-workers in |
Is or has been a trade
union member |
Can name the largest
retailer in |
Know what ‘NGO’ stands
for |
Know someone who has
worked in a sweatshop |
TEACHER AID:
Here are some helps with
the answers to all our “Sweatshop Bingo” questions.
|
Sweatshop: Coined in the 19th century to describe
exploitative conditions in subcontract sewing factories, the term “sweatshop”
is now used to describe large and small factories with labor rights abuses:
long hours, forced over-time, low wages, physical and verbal abuse. These abuses are also common for
home-workers. |
MSN: MSN is the acronym for
the Maquila Solidarity Network and also for Microsoft Network. Both answers are correct. The first answer earns you extra points |
|
Union organizing home
workers: The
Ontario District Council (Canadian) of the International Ladies Garment
Workers Union (ILGWU) (now known as the Union of Needle Trades, Industrial
and Textile Workers,) was instrumental in forming the Home Workers
Association in 1992. Both ILGWU and
UNITE are correct answers. |
Largest retailer: If you count The Bay
Zellers as one company, the |
|
ILO: International Labor
Organization |
Sweatshop brand: Unfortunately, no major
brand can claim to be sweatshop free.
Almost any answer is correct |
|
Celebrity Sponsors: There are hundreds. Michael Jordan for Nike is probably the
most famous |
NGO: Non-governmental
organization |
|
Nike CEO: Phil Knight was Nike’s
Chief Executive Officer when on November 19, 1999 Nike’s stock price jumped
by 2 points. Knight’s one-day gain on
paper was $215 million, 10 times the 1999 earnings of his company’s 55,000
Indonesian shoe workers |
Nike Shoes: The majority of Nike
runners are made in |
|
Maquila: Maquilas or maquiladoreas
are Latin American assembly-for-export facatories. Most maquilas in Central America produce
brand-name clothing for the |
Code of conduct: A corporate code of
conduct is a document outlining the minimum labor standards a company pledges
to adhere to in the garment, sports shoe and toy sectors. Corporate codes often apply to supply
factories not directly owned by the companies |