How to Stop Sweatshops

There are sweatshops operating in the United States.

A sweatshop is a factory or working environment considered by post-industrialized nations to be unacceptably dangerous for employees. Sweatshops can exist in any country, and often demand long hours from workers for little to no pay. Some workers are imprisoned on the factory grounds and are not free to leave to see their families. Sweatshops may have hazardous materials or machinery, or dangerous working conditions such as inadequate lighting or ventilation. Sweatshops may even employ child labor. The United States Department of Labor estimates that over half of the sewing shops in the United States are sweatshops. If you are a concerned citizen, there are steps you can take to help workers in sweatshops.

Things You'll Need

• Internet
• Pamphlets or other informative materials

Instructions

1. Educate yourself about sweatshops. Refer to objective, reliable sources such as governmental publications, university studies and newspapers and learn everything that you can about sweatshops, including their conditions, locations and owners. Do not rely exclusively on blogs and be sure to confirm that all of the information you gather is factual and current. Learn about laws regarding sweatshops and actions other people have taken to end sweatshop labor. Familiarize yourself with arguments in favor of sweatshops so that you are prepared to reason against them.

   You may want to choose a specific type of sweatshop to build your argument against. For example, you could learn everything there is to know about sweatshops in a particular country or sweatshops owned or patronized by a particular manufacturer. This way you can more thoroughly educate yourself about your subject and make stronger, more specific arguments.

2. Join an organization that is already campaigning against sweatshop labor, such as the National Labor Committee. Together, you and the other members of your group can combine your resources and share information about sweatshops. You can also take actions that would be difficult for an individual to take alone, such as staging demonstrations or letter-writing campaigns.

3. Form your own local anti-sweat shop organization. This is a particularly good tactic if you belong to a school, university or religious organization. Your group can educate the local public about sweatshop abuses and help other, larger organizations to do things like gather signatures for petitions in your community.

4. Produce informative literature such as pamphlets or fliers to distribute to your community. Make handouts that explain what sweatshop labor is, where it exists, why it needs to stop and what ordinary citizens can do to help stop it. Print these handouts and distribute them to the public in highly trafficked areas such as college campuses. Make sure that it is legal to distribute literature in your chosen spot. You can also make your own website about sweatshop labor that you can direct interested people to so they learn more detailed information than you can include on your flier.

5. Find out what elected officials in your voting district are responsible for making and passing laws that are either for or against sweatshops and write them letters explaining your position. Demand that sweatshops be stopped. Make your letters convincing by familiarizing yourself with all current and proposed laws relating to unfair labor practices. Suggest to your friends and family members that they send similar letters.

6. Contact local media such as newspapers or news programs and explain that you are interested in learning more about sweatshops. Find programs and publications that specialize in investigative reports and write them letters that request that they run pieces on sweatshop labor. Find out if any of these sources already have run specials on sweatshops and inform them that you are interested in watching or reading follow-up pieces.

7. Write letters to the CEOs of companies that are known to use sweatshop labor. Explain why you believe that these practices should be discontinued. Make sure that your letters are intelligent and courteous, because angry rants are likely to be immediately dismissed.

Tips & Warnings

• No matter how strongly you feel about this cause, never do anything violent or illegal to stop it.

References

• Hearts and Minds: Sweatshops - Harsh Conditions Create Public Support for Reform
• Behind the Label: You Can Make a Difference
• AFL-CIO America's Union Movement: Stop Sweatshops

Resources

• National Labor Committee