....LMB: "Gap Boycott"....
November 25, 2002
Surely you've heard of The Gap, the trendy/gargantuan clothing line/chain that is quite popular across the U.S.
1) Their clothing is made in sweatshops around the world.
2) The workers in Gap clothing factories are asking the rest of the world to pressure The Gap into improving their pay and working conditions.
3) To accomplish this, the Gap workers are asking us all to boycott Gap merchandise.
To get the quick info on the campaign (led by garment workers' union UNITE), you can go to BehindTheLabel.org. For background information, including UNITE's depressing report about working conditions in Gap factories in Lesotho, El Salvador, Bangladesh and Indonesia, click here. It's pretty brutal, tales of poverty, sickness, violence and repression.
So, if you wanna be a nice person, don't buy clothes at The Gap.
Yes yes, many other clothing companies use sweatshops too. But few of the workers for those companies call for boycotts.
Posted by Jake at
11:31 PM
No one forced to work for GAP. Im sure there are other jobs around that country ...also if its so bad leave...in my opinion they are over paid any way.
Simply because no one is "forced" to work for the sweatshops that are contracted by middlemen to manufacture clothes for Gap, and simply because workers could "leave if they want to" (although in the 3rd-world free trade zones where these sweatshops spring up, many factory owners do indeed force their workers to work and prevent them from leaving thru various means of coercion and intimidation)
does NOT mean the Gap should not have to make efforts to improve working conditions. Just cause workers aren't forced, or could leave, doesn't make it ok for the Gap to promote sweatshop labor.
der.
These workers have two options:
1. Work under sub-human conditions for the GAP or
2. Starve
If your idea of 30 cents per day is overpaid, I'd like to know what you think underpaid is. GAP is taking advantage of people that are cornered into such a position that they are left with no option but take part in the dehumanising ritual of working in one of the sweatshops that they contract.
so boycotting the gap is a way of giving the company the finger for promoting sweatshops in these countries. but does it really prevent other companies from doing the same? and if it does, what's the alternative? the kids go back to picking through landfills?
i mean, if it doesn't really change a damn thing. i say fuckit! let the GAP stay! i want my $10 leopard print fleece pullover!
sweatily yours,
mr.mooney
I happen to be a Gap Outlet Employee although I am seriously considering quitting and getting a Job somewhere else. I have in fact filled out applications at other places. I happen to be a person with Learning Disabilities the General Manager is well aware of this fact. I have worked for the Company for 5 years and they have been treating me like a piece of Garbage lately. THey have their Payrool at more than what they can afford yet many people end up not getting any hours for a time including me. When im not getting hours who is gettign hours, people who have been there for only maybe a few months are actually getting placed ahead of well you guessed it me a Learning Disabled person who's been there for 5 years. THis is Bull crap and last I checked it's also illegal. My Dad who works in Management at General Motors knows a lot about all these different Label laws and he's described to me exactly which ones have been violated. I wrote a note about what's gone on and how I feel about what's happened the General Manager and District Manager took a look at the Note too and we discussed some things. I mentioned about how even though im a Stockroom person I could work fitting room if I had to and they weren't able to have em work stock that day but could at least have me work anyways doing something else. My Dad came in to assist me and explaining some stuff to the General and District Managers. Later on another Discussion the District manager claimed that the law I described does not exist(I told my Mom about this my Mom said that is Bullcrap cause my Dad who is in Management at GM described this very law to me and my Mom). I have chosen to call Gap instead of going up there to find out my Schedule for the week. I was one day gonna come up there to get work Paystubs(I have Direct Deposit on my account)Low and Behold those stubs ended up actually being mailed to me instead.
I would like to quit now although I probably will have to stay till another place hires me as well as perhaps seeing about contacting this one Lawyer that has represented my sis in her Legal Troubles(He's never charged her a cent for Services last time I checked and im sure he'd Rep me for Free as well). Anyways slowly but surely I am gonan be a Former Gap Outlet Employee as soon as possible I do not even care if 5 years of working there would grant me Job Security. Oh yeah there was this one girl that had quit after a year of working there cause well he residence happened to be great driving Distance from Gap Outlet she got tired of driving from Home to Gap only to have shift cut and she decided to quit as a result and you know what I don't blame her for quitting either she was right to do so(I dunno if she would have any of the Legal Recourses I would have but still I think she made the right move and I think she works a much better Job these days).
All of you dummies that complain about Gap and think we should boycott it, must walk around completely naked because I have a news flash for you all...MOST clothing companies, especially big name mall ones own sweatshops, it's the only economic way in the clothing industry. So unless you make your own clothes from scratch, I can guarantee you that some 7 year old probably made it working for 16 cents an hour. Is it sad? Yes, but a reality, so get over it!!
Quit your whining. All you typical protesters are always so 'rah rah rah' and 'ooooh won't anyone think of the children' are hypocrites.
I don't see any of you fighting for the same damn thing in this country. Oh whats that you didn't realize there are thousands of garment workers in this country getting paid below minimum wage. Newsflash I know lots of people who are in that position and have been for decades. Or do you think because they are paid $2.00/hour so it must be ok since its worse for some stranger you don't have to look at get .30/hour.
You think those people in third world countries can get any high paying job they want? How many of them working for gap will actually thank you when gap pulls out of the country leaving them jobless.
Why don't you try and get their country to change its laws instead of companies who abide by it.
Everything is so simple to you while you're sitting comfortably in your air conditioned homes after a day of protesting. And as long as the cause is not something you like then what the hell lets boycott.
I'm buying more gap stuff than ever just to piss you off.
Quit your whining. All you typical protesters are always so 'rah rah rah' and 'ooooh won't anyone think of the children' are hypocrites.
I don't see any of you fighting for the same damn thing in this country. Oh whats that you didn't realize there are thousands of garment workers in this country getting paid below minimum wage. Newsflash I know lots of people who are in that position and have been for decades. Or do you think because they are paid $2.00/hour so it must be ok since its worse for some stranger you don't have to look at get .30/hour.
You think those people in third world countries can get any high paying job they want? How many of them working for gap will actually thank you when gap pulls out of the country leaving them jobless.
Why don't you try and get their country to change its laws instead of companies who abide by it.
Everything is so simple to you while you're sitting comfortably in your air conditioned homes after a day of protesting. And as long as the cause is not something you like then what the hell lets boycott.
I'm buying more gap stuff than ever just to piss you off.
Idiotic comments like "so what, all the other clothing companies use sweatshops" doesn't mean its any less acceptable.
We should boycott ALL large scale manufacturers who use third world / developing countries as sourses of cheap labour -
Would you like to work for 30c or 2$ an hour... No.
So why expect some other nation to do it?
Or is it ok for a black/hispanic/asian person to do it?
The consequences of a capitalist society my friends - exploitation of your brothers and sisters for capital gains.
Until everyone wakes up stops subscribing to the evil on which our economics/society are based, we're stuck, and all responsible for the inequalities of the world.
Idiotic comments like "so what, all the other clothing companies use sweatshops" doesn't mean its any less acceptable.
We should boycott ALL large scale manufacturers who use third world / developing countries as sourses of cheap labour -
Would you like to work for 30c or 2$ an hour... No.
So why expect some other nation to do it?
Or is it ok for a black/hispanic/asian person to do it?
The consequences of a capitalist society my friends - exploitation of your brothers and sisters for capital gains.
Until everyone wakes up stops subscribing to the evil on which our economics/society are based, we're stuck, and all responsible for the inequalities of the world.
Get your head out your ass fools! There's no such thing as a greedy corporation, corporations are just groups of people working together to make some money and stimulate the economy.
These mindless left-wing fools are so stupid they consider a place that pays minimum wage and is trying to avoid unionization to be sweatshops! Working at a frickin' 7-11 is a sweatshop under that definition! Get real morons, quit hatin'
Get your head out your ass fools! There's no such thing as a greedy corporation, corporations are just groups of people working together to make some money and stimulate the economy.
These mindless left-wing fools are so stupid they consider a place that pays minimum wage and is trying to avoid unionization to be sweatshops! Working at a frickin' 7-11 is a sweatshop under that definition! Get real morons, quit hatin'
you think you work hard for your wages? you think you deserve any of what you have? try comparing what you do/what you earn to the millions of people exploited everyday by power-mad, money hungry multi-national corporations like Gap.
Don't try and convince yourself that you deserve anything more than these sweatshop workers. How can countries (eg Britain) that base themselves around equality be such vast investors in blatant disregard for people who have simply been born into different circumstances?
