Day of Conscience

On October 4th, NYC ADA joined with the National Labor Committee and labor and human rights groups in a march against sweatshop abuses and violations of worker rights.

 

The march started across from the Disney Store at 42nd Street, and proceeded through Midtown and on to Herald Square.

 

Among the hundreds of participants, including labor, student, and religious groups, were mayoral candidate Ruth Messinger, and City Council hopeful Margarita Lopez.

 

As hundreds of startled midday shoppers stopped to gawk, National Labor Committee Executive Secretary Charles Kernaghan spoke eloquently about the need for Americans to stop companies' exploitation of third-world workers. Holding up a garment from the Disney store, he noted that the worker who made it was paid less than a tenth of a percent of its asking price, and that it would take a Haitian worker (paid 31 cents an hour) 156 years to earn the weekly pay of Michael Eisner, Disney president. He pointed out Disney and Guess jeans as two of the worst abusers. An extensive list of corporations with the worst records of human rights abuses will be available in November.

 

"Every real reform in the U.S. has been brought about by social movements, and now is the time to move on sweatshops. In public opinion polls, 79 percent of Americans say they would avoid retailers if they knew they dealt in sweatshop goods, and 72 percent want all trade strictly conditioned on human rights and environmental protection."

 

-Charles Kernaghan

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