Haiti/Disney: No Work at Megatex
Campaign for Labor Rights
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HAITI / DISNEY: NO WORK AT MEGATEX
posted May 16, 1999
[Information provided by the Disney / Haiti Justice Campaign, a member of
the Global Sweatshop Coalition in New York City]
In this alert:
No work at Megatex
No answer from Disney
ACTION REQUEST: letter to Disney
Bangor youth group to focus on Disney
1999 sweatshop activist organizing packet
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NO WORK AT MEGATEX
There has been little or no work at Megatex, a factory in Port-au-Prince,
Haiti which manufacturers clothing for Disney and other brands and
which has
been the focus of several previous alerts posted by Campaign for Labor
Rights. Without paychecks, workers cannot afford transportation to come to
union meetings. Organizing has been on hold. The workers, who had struggled
to get by on their meager pay when they worked full-time, are now in great
financial distress.
Although the situation at Megatex is more dire than at most factories, the
entire export production sector is spiraling down. Foreign capital is
deserting the country as Haiti slips further and further into political and
economic chaos. Factories which still are operational have to generate their
own power, since electricity from public sources is completely unreliable.
Years of U.S.-engineered UN occupation have left Haiti's fundamental
problems unresolved. Policies dictated by the International Monetary Fund
remain in force. The oligarchy remains firmly in power. Vast
disparities in
wealth remain institutionalized. Repressive forces remain armed and present,
even if not necessarily in their previous official positions. Crime and
violence are on the rise, not only as a result of social breakdown, but also
probably as a deliberate effort by some to hasten political crisis.
The U.S. government is likely to keep the lid on coup attempts in Haiti
until after the U.S. Presidential election. Another flood of refugees from
Haiti would damage Gore's chances for office. Various agencies of the U.S.
government are certainly operational in Haiti at this time. However, it is
unclear what is the long-term U.S. strategic objective in the country. The
current level of political dysfunction is not conducive to extracting
profits from cheap labor in the export sector. Some speculate that the goal
may be to crush Haiti, to make an example of it for other countries
considering the kind of change briefly represented by Aristide before
the coup.
The Haitian populace has little to hope for in the way of immediate
political change for the better. What is happening now is mainly a jockeying
for position among fiefdoms. The forces which seem to represent popular
interests are probably too weak to be credible contenders for power at this
time. Several players in the political arena make appeals to popular
interests - over issues such as privatization - but there is no viable
genuine popular movement at this time.
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NO ANSWER FROM DISNEY
In January, the union representing workers at the Megatex factory wrote to
Disney CEO Michael Eisner, asking him to intervene and help resolve issues
there, including grossly inadequate pay and unrealistically high production
quotas. The letter also talked about the importance of continuing to place
orders at Megatex at a level which would sustain full employment.
The letter was translated by supporters in the United States and then in
February was forwarded to Eisner by Campaign for Labor Rights, along
with a
cover letter signed by several U.S. human rights organizations. And now,
three months later, the union is still waiting for a response from Disney.
As those of you who have responded to our alerts know, the Disney public
relations department is quick to reply to letters from its consumer base.
Letters from the company are filled with assurances that all is well at
Megatex. However, when workers - the people who have produced so much wealth
for Disney - write to the company, the only reply is silence.
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ACTION REQUEST: LETTER TO DISNEY
Please copy, sign and send the following letter to Disney CEO Michael Eisner
by mail and send the signature portion of the letter (with your own
name and
address) to Campaign for Labor Rights by email (C...@igc.org) or fax: (541)
431-0523. Please send ONLY the signature person, NOT this entire alert.
Michael Eisner, CEO
Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521
Dear Mr. Eisner:
I am writing to ask for your intervention at the Megatex factory in
Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Until some months ago, Megatex produced clothing for
various Disney labels.
As you know, workers at Megatex last year formed a union. In February, you
received a letter from the union, signed by Mrs. Odina Duclair, the union's
General Coordinator. The letter raised several concerns, including the lack
of uncertainty over whether the Walt Disney Company would continue
production at Megatex.
The Walt Disney Company Code of Conduct for Manufacturers states:
"Manufacturers will respect the rights of employees to associate, organize
and bargain collectively in a lawful and peaceful manner, without
penalty or
interference." The Disney company is to be commended for including this
provision in its code.
Freedom of association means little, however, if Disney withdraws its work
from a factory where workers have exercised that right. I urge you to resume
placing Disney clothing orders at Megatex at a level that can provide for
full employment. Also, as a simple gesture of good faith, you should reply
to letter sent to you in February by the union at Megatex.
I am a consumer who cares about labor rights. I hope to receive a reply soon
that you have seriously addressed the concerns raised in this letter.
Sincerely,
NAME:
ADDRESS:
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BANGOR YOUTH GROUP TO FOCUS ON DISNEY
In Bangor, Maine, a youth group has decided to make justice for Disney
workers a central focus of its efforts in the coming year. Youth
Adelantando. In December, a member of the group wrote:
"We are Youth Adelantando (Youth going forward) a division of PICA (Peace
through InterAmerican Community Action) and we recently staged a
non-confrontational demonstration in front of the new Walt Disney store in
the Bangor mall. We are a youth group, with ages ranging from pre-teen
through high school, that informs the community, especially youth, about
sweatshops and other issues surrounding them. In general, the protest was
quite successful. While at the mall, we leafleted in front of the Disney
store, and throughout the mall. We brought public awareness to those at the
mall, to those reading the newspaper and those watching the news. Also, we
brought awareness to all those who saw the play, which was held outside
of a
nearby local restaurant. The reason that the play was not performed at the
mall itself, was mainly because of a lack of willingness of the mall manager
to allow us to inform the public. The mall manager and security guards asked
us to 'cease and desist' after they realized that this was not your average
holiday tap dancing recital or chorus performance. After being asked to
leave and doing so, our group proceeded to the driveway of a neighboring
restaurant. Here we performed an informational play portraying a
scenario of
a consumer learning about the sad truth of the conditions inside a sweatshop.
"We hope to continue to be active with this cause and open the eyes of
consumers everywhere who take the materialistic goods they use for granted."
More recently, Youth Adelantando wrote to Campaign for Labor Rights, hoping
to establish direct communications with the Megatex workers. Unfortunately,
given the present situation in Haiti, establishing such people-to-people
links is not feasible.
Another project associated with PICA is the Bangor Clean Clothes Campaign.
To contact Youth Adelantando, write to Sol Goldman
<sb...@bangornews.infi.net>. Contact the Bangor Clean Clothes Campaign at
<pi...@hamtel.tds.net> or (207) 947-4203.
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1999 SWEATSHOP ACTIVIST ORGANIZING PACKET
Campaign for Labor Rights has prepared a multi-theme, multi-campaign packet
for local activists who are organizing around sweatshop issues. Updated and
additional materials will be mailed automatically during the year to
everyone who orders the initial installment. The initial packet includes
brochure masters (INS and immigration issues, living wage, What can I buy?),
leaflet masters, masters for consumer cards, masters for sign-on letters,
background information on campaigns (farmworkers, Disney, Nike, Phillips-Van
Heusen, The Gap) and a resource list. Order by email <C...@igc.org> or phone
(541) 344-5410. Include your postal address: Packet is in hard copy. Whole
packets only; it is not practical to break down packets and send selected
pieces. Packet includes a donation form and a return envelope. Suggested
donation: $10.00.