Urgent Action — Support Worker Rights!

Support Tainain workers in El Salvador
Tell Lands' End that Blacklisting Is A Crime!

In spring 2002, Salvadoran workers of the Sindicato Trabajadores de Industria Textil (STIT) organized a union in the Tainan apparel factory in the San Bartolo free trade zone in El Salvador. STITCH facilitated exchanges between this union and the successful Yoo Yang factory union in Honduras, which helped the STIT build a majority union in the workplace.

However, the factory effectively shut down in April of that year. The STIT-Tainan unionists were placed on a blacklist, and when they sought other apparel work in the zone, they were illegally denied jobs. One of the places of employment that denied them work was Primo S.A. de C.V., a collegiate apparel producer for Lands' End, Inc.

(Please see the Worker Rights Consortium's Preliminary Assessment on the case of blacklisting at Primo at (http://www.workersrights.org/Primo_Preliminary_Report.pdf/).

This blacklisting has caused hardship beyond our understanding for the STIT-Tainan unionists. After one year, they cannot find other apparel manufacturing employment, are losing their homes, and are unable to provide for their families.

STIT has recently requested support from international organizations, such as STITCH, USAS (United Students Against Sweatshops) and the WRC.

Our best response, as the international community, is to demand an end to blacklisting in El Salvador! Lands' End, a collegiate apparel brand for hundreds of colleges and universities, is complicit in these crimes and refuses to own up to it.

Tell Lands' End: Blacklisting Is A Crime!

Below is a sample email message:

Subject: Stop the Blacklisting at Primo, S.A. de C.V. in El Salvador!
Anne Kies, Sourcing Director
Land’s End Inc
Land’s End Lane
Dodgeville, WI 53595
Anne.Kies@landsend.com

Dear Ms. Kies:

I urge Lands' End, Inc. to immediately rectify the blacklisting abuses, which have stretched on for over a year, at your Salvadoran production facility Primo. The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) has fully documented discriminatory hiring violations at Primo, S.A. de C.V., which violate Collegiate Codes of Conduct, and Salvadoran and international law.

Despite continuous pressure, Lands' End, Inc. has refused to take any remedial action regarding this facility in the San Bartolo free trade zone in El Salvador. The irreparable harm caused by these violations has already rippled out into the workers' communities, causing a complete loss of income for families, a loss of home, the loss of funds for childrens' educations, and has obstructed any other organizing efforts by workers in the region. Immediate action is essential to avoid any further devastating effects.

Lands' End, Inc. must ensure Primo immediately hire workers who have proven the illegal discrimination against them and follow the other recommendations of the WRC.

Lands' End, Inc. must act now to ensure its own Standards of Business are not being violated, to be a fair business partner in El Salvador, and in the world.

Sincerely,
[your name here]
CC: David Dyer, CEO, Land’s End, David.Dyer@landsend.com
Information in this Alert provided by USAS (United Students Against Sweatshops), www.usasnet.org.

 

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