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The Coalition of Labor Union Women, at its Strategic Planning
Conference in March of 2002, pledged to support UNITE's
"Behind
the Label" campaign
— www.behindthelabel.org
— and to include the campaign as a CLUW priority action
issue.
On the chapter level, CLUW is committed
to:
1. Use
"Declaration to the Gap" (which calls for justice
for Gap workers and was distributed at conference — copies
available from CLUW);
2.
Contact local UNITE offices to assist with and participate
in events;
3.
Establish speakers' pool to go to schools, universities, churches
and community centers;
4.
Promote programs through essays, scholarship programs, etc.;
5.
Promote use of alternative choices for shopping.
 What
follows is UNITE's extensive Behind
the Label website. We urge you to carefully explore
it and use the information.
The opening screen features a special holiday
message to send friends and relatives to make sure they know
about the Gap — whose factories are sweatshops, where
workers must endure horrible and unsafe conditions —
and when they try to organize into unions, their efforts are
thwarted. The message that you can send not only describes
what the workers must endure, but it also asks to not buy
holiday gifts from the Gap.
 Additionally,
its Buy Union
Section www.uniteunion.org/unionlabel
features union-made sweat-free suppliers, producers and products.
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WHAT
YOU CAN DO
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Here are some things
that CLUW members and other workers can do to stop sweatshops:
- Talk to your co-workers about
how sweatshops affect them. Use information from this
Web site. Talk to your union representative about
getting more information.
- Use union bulletin boards to
post fliers, articles and other information about
the fight against sweatshops.
- Shop smart. Look for the union
label. Ask questions. Tell the stores that you don’t
want to buy clothes made in sweatshops. Get the consumer
guide to decent clothes.
- Tell all candidates running
for office that you want to know what they plan to
do to stop sweatshops. Then after they’re elected,
let them know you’re watching what they’re
doing.
- Make sure your tax dollars aren’t
spent in sweatshops. Go to Cities
Against Sweatshops for more information.
- Talk to people in your church,
community groups, your children’s school, your
labor council and other organizations you belong to.
Tell them about the fight against sweatshops and ask
them to help.
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