#IWD2025 This International Women's Day we are highlighting the struggles that women workers face in  the garment industry and point the the place strong, independent trade unions have in combating exploitation and gender-based violence.

Today in Labor History March 4, 1933: Frances Perkins became U.S. Secretary of Labor, the first female member of the United States Cabinet. As labor secretary, she helped develop the social security system in 1935. She also played an important role in the development of other New Deal programs. And in 1939, she came under fire from Congress for refusing to support the deportation of ILWU chief, Harry Bridges, who they accused of being a Communist. As a young woman, Perkins worked with Florence Kelly, a social and political organizer who fought against sweatshops and for the minimum wage, eight-hour workday and children’s rights. Kelley was a follower of Karl Marx and a friend of Friedrich Engels. Perhaps for these reasons, people accused Perkins of being a Communist, which she was not. Perkins had also volunteered at Hull House, with Jane Addams.

#Shein checks urged after refusal to answer 'basic' questions basic questions" over its supply chain.

Liam Byrne, chair of the Business and Trade Committee, wrote to Dame Julia Hoggett asking if the stock market had tests in place to "authenticate statements" by firms seeking to list, "with particular regard to their safeguards against the use of forced labour in their products".
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxk6nnk6p9o

"The wearing of flowers by garment workers is profoundly misunderstood. It has come under criticism as a sign of ‘financial-illiteracy’ - of frivolous high spending amongst low-waged women who can’t manage their monthly expenses...

...If global fashion brands paid fairly, workers wouldn't need to send their children to pick flowers before school."

https://www.tansyhoskins.org/factory-flowers-beauty-and-survival-in-indias-garment-factories/?ref=tansy-e-hoskins-newsletter

Today in Labor History November 14, 1903: The National Women's Trade Union League formed in Boston. Their goals were to get more women unionized and to end sweat shops. They supported many of the major strikes of the 1900s-1910s and helped pave the way for the ILGWU and ACWA. They were influenced by the settlement house movement and Jane Addams. And they also fought for women’s suffrage. The WTUL played a major role in the Uprising of the 20,000, the New York City and Philadelphia shirtwaist workers' strike. They provided a strike headquarters, raised funds for soup kitchens and bail for picketers, provided legal defense for arrested picketers, marched on the picket lines, and organized marches to publicize the workers' demands.

Yesterday we march alongside comrades of the UK trade union movement at the 138th Durham Miners' Gala on the 40th anniversary of the Miners' Strike.

We marched representing all the trade unions in garment producing countries around the world that we work with and support.

THERE IS POWER IN A UNION!

#RickyGervais Talks #Nike and #Sweatshops | #Politics | Universal #Comedy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMyic8RNs1A

Today in Labor History November 14, 1903: The National Women's Trade Union League formed in Boston. Their goals were to get more women unionized and to end sweat shops. They supported many of the major strikes of the 1900s-1910s and helped pave the way for the ILGWU and ACWA. They were influenced by the settlement house movement and Jane Addams. And they also fought for women’s suffrage. The WTUL played a major role in the Uprising of the 20,000, the New York City and Philadelphia shirtwaist workers' strike. They provided a strike headquarters, raised funds for soup kitchens and bail for picketers, provided legal defense for arrested picketers, marched on the picket lines, and organized marches to publicize the workers' demands.

Last night the BBC aired a Panorama investigation into fast fashion giant Boohoo.

The revelations were worse than we feared. 13 hour days, forced overtime, and deceitful subcontracting.

Read our full response here:
https://nosweat.org.uk/our-response-to-bbc-panoramas-boohoo-revelations

The #Barbie hype is a great time to talk about toy sweatshops:

“Between shifts the workers, mostly young women, their faces set in exhaustion, shuffle from building to building…

Li Mei is worn out, so she looks older than her 18 years. Her skin is bad from too little daylight and she has many healing and still-open cuts on her hands.”

(Extract from a 2007 book by Eric Clark)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-475640/Mattels-real-toy-story-slave-labour-sweatshops.html

@icedquinn @kaia so basically what I just said:

"This is just #combining the disadvantages of #Fiverr, #AWS & #Sweatshops with 0 advantages."

10 years ago today, more than a thousand garment workers died in when the Rana Plaza, a Bangladeshi factory, tragically collapsed.

Global brands and local companies pledged to do more to make sure the clothes sold in Western stories were produced in safer factories.

For a few years, things improved. But many of the worker-protection initiatives have been canceled or expired.

https://theconversation.com/fast-fashion-still-comes-with-deadly-risks-10-years-after-the-rana-plaza-disaster-the-industrys-many-moving-pieces-make-it-easy-to-cut-corners-201538
#SupplyChains #Sweatshops #FastFashion #ESG #TodayInHistory