Anarchoblogs

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Historic Victory: Jerzees de Honduras workers win break-through agreement:

On November 14 an unprecedented agreement was struck between Russell Athletic and the union representing unjustly laid off workers at its former Jerzees de Honduras (JDH) factory.
Russell has agreed to open a new facility in the Choloma area, re-hire and provide substantial economic assistance to the 1,200 former JDH workers, institute a joint union-management training program on freedom of association and commit to a position of neutrality with respect to unionization, which will open the door for union representation at all of Fruit of the Loom's Honduran facilities (Russell Athletic is owned by Fruit of the Loom).

"This agreement represents one of the most significant advances for fundamental workplace rights in the twenty-year history of apparel industry codes of conduct," said Scott Nova of the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), which conducted independent investigations into violations of freedom of association at JDH. "It is hard to overstate the significance of this breakthrough."

"For Honduran workers this agreement represents real hope, especially in the midst of an unemployment crisis in our country," said Evangelina Argueta, Coordinator of the Honduran General Workers' Confederation (CGT) in Choloma, which spearheaded the fight for the former JDH workers. "The fired workers haven't had income to support their families. Now they can be assured that they will have a job - this is the most valuable thing to come out of the agreement."

Russell Athletic was under serious pressure to repair the damage caused by its decision to close the JDH factory last January, which was widely condemned as an attempt to destroy a newly formed union (see last issue of the Update for details).

At the urging of students, unions and labour rights organizations, including United Students Against Sweatshops and MSN, over 100 universities in Canada and the US that have adopted ethical purchasing policies either withdrew their licensing agreements with the company or threatened to do so unless it took action to remedy the violations. Retailers and other Russell consumers were also approached.

"This is the first time we know of where a factory that was shut down to eliminate a union was later re-opened after a worker-activist campaign. This is also the first company-wide neutrality agreement in the history of the Central America apparel export industry – and it has been entered into by the largest private employer in Honduras, the largest exporter of t-shirts to the US market in the world. This is a breakthrough of enormous significance for the right to organize – and worker rights in general – in one of the harshest labor rights environments in the world,” said Rod Palmquist, USAS International Campaign Coordinator.

Talks between the union and the company finally began after Russell Athletic's membership in the Fair Labor Association (FLA) was put on "Special Review" status last June. An FLA investigation carried out in response to a complaint filed by the CGT, the Clean Clothes Campaign and MSN confirmed the WRC's finding that the presence of the union was a significant factor in the FLA member company's decision to close the JDH factory.

The FLA told the company it had to negotiate remediation with the factory union (SITRAJERZEESH) and the CGT, and engage with MSN and the WRC.

Fruit of the Loom is the largest private sector employer in Honduras, owning eight factories that employ over 10,000 workers, making the impact of this agreement extremely significant.
"The partnership being created between a large private employer and an independent union federation is unprecedented in the history of the apparel sector in Honduras and in Central America," said Nova.

Implementation of the agreement will be monitored by a joint union-management committee, with an agreement to enter into binding arbitration in the case of disputes over implementation or interpretation.

"We feel that the company acted in good faith during the negotiations, and this has to be recognized," said Argueta. "Relations between workers, the union and the company have been strengthened, and this will be reflected when the new factory is opened."

"All the support we received from groups like the WRC, MSN and from all of the university students was fundamental and we are very grateful," said Argueta. "The support of international organizations is very important."
• Read the Joint Public Statement on the agreement by the union and the company (November 17, 2009)
• Read more on the Jerzees de Honduras Campaign.

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The Maquila Solidarity Network is a great source of international labour news. Molly highly recommends that her readers sign up to get their news and participate in their campaigns. Here's the blurb about their latest newsletter, with lots more on the evolving situation in Honduras.

Maquila Solidarity Update 14.3 (December 2009):
The December 2009 edition of MSN's newsletter, Maquila Solidarity Update, is now available on MSN's website. In this edition MSN examines how the coup in Honduras has given life to a popular movement, the historic agreement for Jerzees de Honduras workers, the launch of the innovative Asia Floor Wage Campaign, Mexico's policy of busting independent unions while letting fraudulent unions multiply and other stories.
» Download Maquila Solidarity Update 14.3

This social disintegration is built upon a foundation of vicious exploitation. The following is from the Maquila Solidarity Network, and its subject is a matter that Molly has touched upon before on this blog, the workers of Jerzees de Honduras. The exploitation of the Honduran working class is the social and economic basis upon which the horrible danger of everyday life in that country is built. This is so gross that even a corporate creation such as the 'Fair Labor Association' has seen fit to censure one of its members- see below. Quite frankly this takes a lot.

Russell Athletic placed under Special Review over labour rights concerns:
On June 25th 2009, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) put its member company Russell Athletic on Special Review for 90 days. The FLA's Special Review process requires the company to perform specific actions to address violations of workers' freedom of association related to the closure of the Jerzees de Honduras (JDH) factory. This is only the second time in the FLA's history that a member company has been placed on Special Review. If Russell fails to complete the required steps in 90 days their FLA membership may be revoked.

Russell Athletic has been under fire for months for failing to remedy damage done to the JDH workers, the workers CGT union, and their right to freedom of association when they closed the JDH factory earlier this year. While Russell Athletic insists that their only motivation for the closure was economic, two independent investigations have concluded that anti-union bias was in fact a significant factor in the decision to close the JDH factory.

In February, the FLA Board asked Russell to undertake an initial series of steps, only some of which have been addressed by the company. Recently, new violations of freedom of association - including the establishment of "collective pacts" (akin to company unions) in the company's remaining Honduran facilities - have been detailed in a new report issued by the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC).

The FLA cited Russell Athletic's "failure to engage in good faith negotiations with the CGT union on issues like compensation for terminated employees, a meaningful first-hire policy and reasonable access for unions to company factories." The FLA further noted that "the existence of 'collective pacts,' no matter their motivation, has the effect of undermining efforts by independent unions to organize workers. These circumstances have led to a high level of distrust among workers and other stakeholders of Russell's commitment to freedom of association."

In order to have the Special Review lifted, Russell Athletic must, amongst other things, engage in good faith negotiations with the CGT union regarding further compensation and benefits for all JDH workers, an effective first-hire policy, and reasonable access of union organizers to employees. The company must also negotiate measures with CGT to ensure the removal of any obstacles to freedom of association, including those posed by collective pacts (pactos colectivos), without depriving workers of existing benefits.

Russell is also being asked to engage with relevant stakeholders including FLA member universities, the WRC, the Clean Clothes Campaign and MSN.
Read the FLA Board's full Resolution and related documents
Read the WRC's latest reports on Russell Athletic and freedom of association in Honduras
Background on the JDH struggle
How you can help

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Russell: Stop Threats of Violence Against Honduran Workers!:
Worker activists in Honduras are about to lose their jobs and are being threatened with violence! In 2007, workers at a garment factory called Jerzees de Honduras, won a hard-fought struggle for union representation - an unprecedented victory in an industry where workers' rights are rarely respected.

Unfortunately, Russell Athletic has moved to destroy the union at Jerzees de Honduras by announcing that they are closing their factory. Just recently, human rights groups have received credible reports of union leaders being threatened with violence, which workers believe is directly related to the closure of the factory. Russell has been asked, at a bare minimum, to delay the closure of Jerzees de Honduras until mechanisms are in place to ensure the safety of of union members and leaders - yet Russell to date, has not been willing to do something as simple as this! The closure of Jerzees de Honduras is a direct result of the predatory business practices of Russell, and such behavior cannot be tolerated. Tell Russell Athletic that they must, by whatever means necessary, ensure that threats against workers immediately stop, that the factory be reopened at full capacity, and its union members remain employed! YOUR ONLINE ACTION IS URGENTLY NEEDED - ALL IT TAKES IS A FEW CLICKS...

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Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): Russell Athletic
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Stop Threats of Violence Against Union Leaders & Keep Jerzees de Honduras Open!
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I am writing today to express my outrage over the planned closure of the Jerzees de Honduras factory in Honduras, and recent reports of violence against union activists. As I am sure you are well aware, the workers of Jerzees de Honduras, with support of students and universities in the United States, recently won a hard-fought struggle for union recognition. Jerzees de Honduras had become one of the few unionized factories in Russell's supply chain, and workers began to negotiate what would have been a historic collective bargaining agreement.