Negligent Disregard of Human Rights

NEGLIGENT DISREGARD OF HUMAN RIGHTS

“The Low Price Leader”! Isn’t that how ‘Wal-Mart executives advertise its prices? Seems that their slogan should read, “The Low Paying, Vagrant Disregard for Human Rights Leader”! Lack of respect for human rights and the love of a dollar seems to be more and more the norm these days in the manufacturing industry. Becoming increasingly synonymous with this type of behavior is the ‘Wal-Mart’ name, under the guise of Made in America and Buy American.

Wal-Mart says it has a Code of Conduct and monitoring program which guarantees respect for the human rights of any worker, anywhere in the world, who produces good for sale in Wal-Mart stores. But in Saipan the reality for the women sewing Wal-Mart clothing is:

• 10 to 12 hour shifts, seven days a week

• $3 an hour wages

• Young women fired and deported for becoming pregnant, refusing to work overtime without pay, or complaining about working or living conditions.1

The women sewing U.S. garments in Saipan could be fired and deported if:

• The fell in love;

• Got married;

• Became pregnant; terminate pregnancy or be deported);

• Participated in political or religious activities;

• Failed to meet their daily production quota;

• Refused to work overtime, including unpaid “volunteer” hours;

• Criticized working or living conditions;

• Participated in any activities which lessened their energy for work;

• Refused to lie to inspectors regarding safety conditions at work, the number of hours worked, the true number of women living in each barracks room;

• Asked for a higher wage;

• Tried to organize a union.

Remember, these are conditions at factories on U.S. soil making garments for Wal-Mart and the other major retailers.2

Saipan is a U.S. Commonwealth in the South Pacific, but they are not required to abide by U.S. minimum wage laws. By doing this, they are able to still use labels that say ‘Made in America’, and are not penalized by U.S. Labor laws for paying such low wages and treating the employees as slaves and so unjustly.

When these women are “hired” for these jobs, they are told that they will be getting good jobs in the U.S., which pay good money and provide a clean, safe place to live and work. In actuality, the women are required to sign contracts for one year