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Latest News:
2011 – 10th Anniversary Celebrated with Launch of New Organizing Model
2011 has been full of GWC actions and hard work!!!
• We've continued the infusion of Theatre of the Oppressed methodologies in our regular workshops and street actions
• Garment workers have been organizing and winning wage claim negotiations directly with sweatshop bosses
• Our regularly scheduled “know your rights” and “how to organize” trainings our now fully conducted by and for garment workers
• We've recruited new garment worker and community member leaders
2011 also was the start of a new organizing campaign in the So CA garment industry based on non-majority and other innovative models of organizing. Using initial “street” and “power analysis” work done by a team of garment workers, GWC now has a targeted strategy to move forward with building a stronger organization of workers from the industry. This is a continuing long-term project and current Center activists share a commitment to this hard work.
A New GWC Publication is on it's Way!
A GWC Handbook is being prepared which will not only outline GWC’s history and growth over the past 10 years, but will also present
• a strategic overview of the garment industry as it currently exists in Southern CA
• analyze our experiences and lessons learned using street theater, our wage claim model rooted in organizing, and use of worker designed and run political and economic trainings
• GWC’s vision and strategy for building a stronger organization of workers from the industry
This new GWC Handbook will not only support our work, but we hope it will inform and support the important struggles of other workers and their communities.
Watch for info about obtaining your copy of the GWC Handbook!
Shop With A Heart Returns
Mark your calendar NOW for the December 4th GWC Shop With a Heart event in the heart of the LA downtown garment district!
Shopping begins at 3:00pm with incredible FAIR TRADE textiles, jewelry, children’s toys, silk purses and bags, and the widely popular and unique Elli Pooh line of paper product gifts.
As in previous years, there will be live performances starting at 5:00pm.
In addition to great fair trade shopping and live performances, you’ll have a chance to eat great food – all while supporting the critical and important work of the GWC.
WHAT A DEAL!
So MARK the date for our Garment Worker Center Shop With a Heart fundraiser: Dec. 4th, Sunday from 3pm until 7pm at GWC.
Be sure to contact the GWC with your snail mail address, email and/or phone to make sure you receive details about this exciting event!
gwc@garmentworkercenter.org email
213-748-5866 phone
213-748-5876 fax
1250 S. Los Angeles Street, Ste 213
LA, CA 90015
You're invited! Join us for our Annual Fundraiser!
RECENT NEWS FROM GWC – SEPTEMBER 2010
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OUR STORIES OF GARMENT WORKER RESISTANCE
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Inspiring hope in the Garment Industry
In June of this year, the GWC team of garment and non-garment worker organizers started a 6 month organizing drive in the Southern CA garment industry. The message: Garment Workers CAN fight back against their employers by taking collective action to change the sweatshop conditions in the garment factories.
Since June, a team of organizers have been “hitting the streets” to create a real ‘fight back’ buzz. Organizers are at the factory gates at dawn before workers arrive for work. Organizers doorknock evenings in neighborhoods where lots of garment workers live. Organizers spread the word using visual images via leaflets, posters and t-shirts inside the factories’ district and connect with other workers through concentrated phone banks and house visits. Organizers boarded a bus to talk to garment workers and met a unionized bus driver who welcomed the organizers to show his support.
Overall, workers still have serious fears of job loss – even their low-paying (sometimes no-paying) jobs. Workers fear the real threat of physical, verbal and emotional retaliation from industry employers. Yet, even through such a thick wall of doubt and fear, garment workers are building their skills as organizers and are challenging co-workers to say NO MORE! Or as GWC says…“ ¡YA BASTA! ¡Organízate!”
Challenging Wage Robbery in the LA Garment Industry
In our last newsletter, we shared a story about one of the disputes between one of our GWC worker members, Maria* and her employer. Unfortunately, her story is a common story for many workers. Even after directly pressuring the employer and the manufacturers, she got no response so she decided to move forward with the Labor Commissioner Wage Claim process. We try to resolve these wage theft issues directly at GWC before taking it to the Labor Commissioner’s office because of the wait time after submitting a case. We are currently still waiting to hear when they will begin to process her case, but we anticipate it will take between 6 months to 1 year.
Because of these experiences, we continue to summon the employers and the manufacturers directly to GWC to negotiate and sometimes we are victorious! Two months ago, we were able to get Bebe (yes, big name Bebe) to pressure their contractor to meet with us directly and negotiate with Roberto*, another garment worker with stolen wages. Bebe felt the pressure when a group of 10 of us arrived at their chic offices on the Westside, and despite their efforts to make us feel unwelcomed, we were successful in getting the message across that we wanted them to pressure their contractor to settle with us, which they did! Roberto, together with his other compañer@s from the industry, was able to successfully win back his stolen wages from the contractor through the negotiation at GWC.
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INTERNATIONAL STORIES OF GARMENT WORKER RESISTANCE
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Workers in Cambodia Strike for a Living Wage
(Story from Clean Clothes Campaign http://www.cleanclothes.org/news/garment-workers-in-cambodia-on-strike)
On Thursday September 16th, Cambodian union leaders decided to a temporary cessation of a mass strike calling for a living wage of 93 US $. The strike started on Monday, September 13th with 60.000 workers but won quickly in importance with 200,000 participating workers in over 90 factories at the moment of cessation. The government invited the unions for a negotiation meeting that will take place on September 27. This is occurring in an on-going climate of threat of retaliation for supporting the striking worker rights.
The most important brands sourcing from Cambodia include Puma, H&M and GAP. Three of CCC’s [Clean Clothes Campaign] Cambodian partners support the strikes, because the new minimum wage fails to meet basic needs such as food, housing and travel expenses. They demand a living wage of US$93 and better benefits.
The Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union (CCAWDU) and National Independent Federation Textile Union of Cambodia (NIFTUC), with respectively 45,000 and 30,000 members, are calling upon the employers association to enter into negotiations with them. Both unions collected about 80,000 signatures and thumbprints from factory workers, most of whom are women.
The new minimum wage was determined in July and is set to come into force for the around 358,000 garment workers in October 2010.
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GWC COMMUNITY SUPPORTER EVENTS
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A Night of Dance and Community!
On August 28th, we held our very first Let’s Dance fundraiser at GWC. We brought together some of or our home-grown dancers in our community and asked them to take their love for dancing and turn it into a night of classes. That led to a wonderful mix of dance styles including West African Dance, Salsa, Puerto Rican Bomba, Line Dancing, Hip hop and more. Let’s Dance participants shook their shoulders or rolled their hips in reggae class, or did a handstand in capoeira class, and most importantly, had a great time! We really appreciated the energy and enthusiasm of everyone who came and we hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did.
Let’s Dance was also an opportunity for us to raise some funds and with the amount raised, we'll be able to cover about 2 months of internet access, and 2 1/2 months of food costs for our Saturday meetings. That means a lot to us!! We want to thank all who joined in on the fun and who, with their spirit and resources, continue to support the work of GWC.
 
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VOLUNTEER THANK YOUS!
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As always, GWC appreciates the volunteers who support our work. We want to thank our summer intern Lauryl for the patience and care she showed with our kids (and our databases!). We want to welcome Claudia, who has recently joined us and currently supports us with database and audio/visual needs during our organizing campaign. We also want to welcome Christine, has who will be supporting us with the incorporation of more theatre of the oppressed practices in our daily work. A special thank you goes out to all of the volunteers that supported our Let’s Dance fundraiser on the 28th and, of course, a shout out to our entire core volunteers that keep everything moving on a weekly basis.
All the garment workers who put in their energy and their time to make the organizing happen!
All the non-garment workers who support from food prep to child care to street theatre:
Miguel Andrew Brieanne Kyra Naaz Ki Julia Robin Jennifer
Fabiola Simmi Leanna Guadalupe delia Elba
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LOOK FOR OUR NEXT UPDATE IN DECEMBER
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PAST GWC UPDATES BELOW
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For More News click Here!
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