A-Infos (en) pressure retailers of GUESS

["Shawn Ewald" <shawn@wilshire.net>]

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     A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
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------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date:          Mon, 23 Feb 1998 23:41:05 -0800 (PST)
To:            clr@igc.org
From:          Campaign for Labor Rights <clr@igc.apc.org>
Subject:       pressure retailers of GUESS

Labor Alerts: a service of Campaign for Labor Rights
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Phone: (541) 344-5410       Web site: http://www.compugraph.com/clr
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Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. Sample newsletter available on request.

PRESSURE RETAILERS OF GUESS
February 23, 1998

[Information provided by UNITE. See contact below.]

Guess has chosen to ignore the workers and the thousands of concerned
consumers who have spoken out against this company's use of sweatshops.  It
is time to hold accountable the retailers which are selling Guess
merchandise despite having supplier codes of conduct condemning the abuse of
workers.

Please communicate your concern to two of Guess' most important customers,
Federated Department Stores, Inc. and Dayton Hudson Corporation.  We need to
encourage these retailers to contact Guess about the deplorable wages and
treatment of the workers who make Guess clothing.  Federated and Dayton
Hudson must also be held accountable for perpetuating the abuses of these
workers because they too profit from this labor.

Below you will find suggestions for letters to Federated and Dayton Hudson,
as well as background information on the sweatshop abuses of workers who sew
clothing for Guess.  Please mail your letters to Federated and Dayton Hudson
as soon as possible to impress upon these companies the seriousness of this
matter and your determination to stand with the workers.  

HISTORY OF WORKERS' STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE AT GUESS?, INC.

August 1992: After Guess?, Inc.'s contractors are repeatedly cited by the
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for federal wage and hour law violations,
Guess enters into an agreement with the DOL to monitor its contractors to
avoid litigation by the DOL.  Guess pays $573,000 in back wages owed to
workers employed by its  contractors.  

July-August 1996: The California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
(DLSE) discovers Guess clothing in illegal industrial homework operations.
The DLSE also finds violations of minimum wage and overtime laws at 3 Guess
contractors.

August 7, 1996: A group of garment workers files a class action wage and
hour lawsuit against Guess and some of its contractors for wage and hour
violations.  The suit seeks key back wages and damages for thousands of
workers who were illegally underpaid while producing clothing for Guess.  

November 27, 1996: Guess is suspended from the DOL garment industry
"Trendsetter List" after inspectors find wage and hour violations at 7 of
its contractors.

January 13, 1997: After the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) finds
evidence of lawbreaking, including illegal firings, Guess enters into a
settlement agreement supervised by the DOL in which Guess agrees to
reinstate 20 workers to their jobs with $80,000 in back pay and cease all
violations of labor law.  

January 14, 1997: The Wall Street Journal reports that Guess planns to move
most of its sewing operation to Mexico and Latin America, in part, because
of allegations of sweatshop practices and regulatory scrutiny.

January 31, 1997: Guess probation on DOL's Trendsetter List is extended
indefinitely due to the ineffectiveness of the company's monitoring program.

March 4, 1997: The DOL's " No Sweat Garment Enforcement Report" for 4th
Quarter 1996 cites 5 Guess sewing firms, including the #1 violator on the
list, for owing a total of over $185,000 in back pay to workers for wage and
hour violations.

July 17, 1997: The California DLSE conducts raids of 5 illegal industrial
homework operations linked to 4 contractors used by Guess.

November 18, 1997: The NLRB issues a first-ever formal complaint against
Guess.  Accusations of massive violations of workers' rights, including
illegal terminations, retaliation, interrogations and discrimination against
pro-union workers, will be heard at a trial in March 1998.

December 10, 1997: The Los Angeles Times reports that "Government Berates
Guess Over Ads on Labor Practices," after Guess runs full page ads in
several major daily newspapers claiming its contractors are "100% guaranteed
sweatshop free."

ACTION REQUEST:
Please send the following letters to Dayton Hudson and Federated. ALSO FAX
AND MAIL COPIES TO: Judy Marblestone, UNITE, 2100 L st., NW, Suite 210,
Washington, DC 20037, tel: 202-785-5690 x222, fax: 202-785-5699, e-mail:
isg@clark.net

Mr. Robert Ulrich, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Dayton Hudson Corporation
777 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55402-2055

Dear Mr. Ulrich:

I am writing to express my deep concern over treatment of workers who sew
Guess clothing sold at Dayton Hudson department stores across the country.
As a proponent of human rights, it saddens me to see the rights of any
segment of the population flagrantly violated.  I hope that Dayton Hudson,
as one of Guess' main customers, will take a close look at the way the
Latino and immigrant, primarily women, workers who sew Guess clothing are
treated.  Products sold by Dayton Hudson stores should be made by workers
who are treated justly, not by workers who are being coldly exploited in
sweatshops.

It is critical that companies like Dayton Hudson take a stand for justice
and do not condone the labor practices of companies like Guess, which seem
unwilling to take responsibility for sweatshops.  Since November 1996, the
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) found that Guess contractors owed hundreds of
thousands of dollars in back wages to workers for violations of federal
minimum wage and overtime laws.  The DOL even suspended Guess indefinitely
from its garment industry "Trendsetter List."

It is time to stand up for the rights of immigrant workers and demand they
be treated fairly.  We believe that there is no other path for Dayton Hudson
than to stop doing business with Guess until this manufacturer ensures the
thousands of workers who sew its clothing are guaranteed the dignity and
justice they deserve.

Sincerely,

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mr. James Zimmerman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Federated Department Stores, Inc.
7 West Seventh Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202

Dear Mr. Zimmerman:

I am writing to express my deep concern over treatment of workers who sew
Guess clothing sold at Federated department stores across the country.  As a
proponent of human rights, it saddens me to see the rights of any segment of
the population flagrantly violated.  I hope that, Federated as one of Guess'
main customers, will take a close look at the way the Latino and immigrant,
primarily women, workers who sew Guess clothing are treated.  Products sold
by Federated stores should be made by workers who are treated justly, not by
workers who are being coldly exploited in sweatshops.

It is critical that companies like Federated take a stand for justice and do
not condone the labor practices of companies like Guess, which seem
unwilling to take responsibility for sweatshops.  Since November 1996, the
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) found that Guess contractors owed hundreds of
thousands of dollars in back wages to workers for violations of federal
minimum wage and overtime laws.  The DOL even suspended Guess indefinitely
from its garment industry "Trendsetter List."

It is time to stand up for the rights of immigrant workers and demand they
be treated fairly.  We believe that there is no other path for Federated to
stop doing business with Guess until this manufacturer ensures the thousands
of workers who sew its clothing are guaranteed the dignity and justice they
deserve.

Sincerely,



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