Wal-Mart Sweat Shops

By

Spence

Wal-mart Sweatshops Around the

Globe • I am henceforth never shopping at Wal-

Mart ever again. I encourage you to do the same. Sure, its cheap, but at what cost to the rest of the world? Wal-Mart uses Sweatshop (slave) labor in China, Taiwan, Honduras, Mexico, Bangladesh, India and many other countries.

Hours

• The workers are usually women, sometimes even children. They are beaten, forced to work 7 days a week. They work from 8 in the morning till 10 at night, and make everything from toys to clothes to computer products. They intimidate, kill and extort their workers, forcing them into what is effectively slave labor.

Did you know

• 80% of Wal-mart's products are made in sweatshops in China run by the local Chinese mafia and bogus subsidiary companies that Wal-mart uses to create cheap knock-offs of Levis and other brand-name products (Levis is currently suing Wal-mart for brand-name infringement).

Wages

• The average Wal-mart factory worker in China makes $3 US/day, works 7 days a week, is beaten/raped if they try not to work, and killed if they try to start an union.

Wages continued

• If Wal-mart would increase workers wages by just 20 cents a day, it would help many of them come out of poverty and be able to afford to feed all there family members.

Some thing to know

• Many Americans believe the clothing purchased in U.S. Wal-Mart stores is manufactured in America. In fact, the majority of its private label clothing is manufactured in at least 48 countries around the world, but not in the U.S.

• Walmart Sweatshops Around the Globe

Just some facts…

• Wal-Mart fails to cover 60% of their workers with any health insurance.

• 80% of Wal-Mart merchandise is from China.

• When Wal-Mart comes to town, for every two jobs it creates, three jobs are lost.

Close to Home

• Wal-mart also mis-treats there workers close to home. In 2004 Wal-mart was charged with a massive child labor fine in Maine. Wal-mart had 1,344 children working in there stores state wide. The state of Maine issued Wal-mart the largest fine in state history

What has been done

• Wal-mart has increased some of there workers pay, and also has given them health insurance. They also signed an agreement with the government to protect worker rights in there factories over sea’s. They are also providing better working environments and more days off. And finally according to the wal-mart website, it has saved American families billions of dollars since January 1st 2007

And The Winner Is…

• Today the Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN) announced the winner of the Sweatshop Retailer "People's Choice Award," for the company most connected with sweatshop abuses. This year the "People's Choice Award" went to Wal-Mart, the overwhelming favorite with 56% of the popular vote. Disney came in second, garnering 22% of the vote. Other nominees this year included the Hudson's Bay Company, Nike and Gap.