User:Anna Wetterberg/Working conditions lawsuit Saipan 1999

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Working conditions lawsuit Saipan 1999

On January 13, 1999, a federal class-action lawsuit in the U.S., a lawsuit in the U.S. territory of Saipan, and a third lawsuit in California state court were simultaneously filed against thirty-two apparel and footwear manufacturers and their subcontractors by Global Exchange and Sweatshop Watch, two California-based labor rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), on behalf of approximately 40,000 garment workers employed by manufacturers in Saipan. The suit alleged that workers faced repeated harassment, physical abuse, and poor working conditions in the South Korean-owned Sako factory, Global Manufacturing Incorporated, Diovra Saipan Limited, the Concord Garment Manufacturing Corporation, Jin Apparel Incorporated, and other companies that produced products for large U.S. retailers such as Cutter & Buck, Chadwick's of Boston Limited, Donna Karan International, The Gap, Inc., Gymboree, J. Crew, Phillips Van-Heusen, Nordstrom, Polo Ralph Lauren , Tommy Hilfiger, and Wal-Mart. In addition, the U.S. government joined in and filed two civil rights lawsuits against the Sako factory on June 30.

Although the lawsuit filed in Saipan was dismissed, four of the defendants - Cutter & Buck, Gymboree, J. Crew, and Nordstrom - reached a settlement with the plaintiffs on August 9 and agreed to pay U.S.$1.25 million in order to implement an independent monitoring program that would be administered by Verité, an independent monitoring firm. Lawyers for the plaintiffs also announced that they had reached an "in principle" settlement with Chadwick's of Boston Limited, Donna Karan International, Phillips Van-Heusen, and Polo Ralph Lauren . The remaining companies chose to resolve the issue in court.

Links to former U.S. Congressman Tom DeLay

"According to law firm records recently made public, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, paid millions to stop reform [of miserable working conditions] and keep the status quo, met personally at least two dozen times with DeLay on the subject in one two-year period. The DeLay staff was often in daily contact with Abramoff. DeLay traveled with his family and staff over New Year's of 1997 on an Abramoff scholarship endowed by his client, the government of the territory, to the Marianas, where golf and snorkeling were enjoyed. DeLay fully approved of the working and living conditions. ... Later, DeLay would tell The Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin that the low-wage, anti-union conditions of the Marianas constituted 'a perfect petri dish of capitalism. It's like my Galapagos Island.'"

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• Tom DeLay
• Jack Abramoff

External articles

• Mark Shields, "The real scandal of Tom DeLay," Creators Syndicate (via CNN), May 9, 2005.