Thursday, May 31, 2007

Photos

Dr. Angelina Godoy leads a human rights seminar to Guatemala each summer. The students of this seminar met with the women of SITRACIMA the past two years; the next class, which leaves for Guatemala on 23 June, will meet with these women.

The union sent an urgent plea for help on 17 May to Dr. Godoy, which she forwarded to the her current and former students. The response was immediate: the students began organizing, writing letters, contacting the media, contacting their representatives, and contacting the brands which buy from CimaTextiles (the factory at which the women work). These brands are Liz Claiborne, Talbots, and Macy's house brand Charter Club.

These are pictures sent by the union workers to Dr. Godoy.

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the factory gates

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union leaders speaking with the workers

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union leaders speaking with the workers

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women fainted after facing intimidation, threats, rumors of violence, blacklisting throughout the industry, and the impending loss of their jobs. many are single mothers.

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in a country where police violence frequently goes unpunished, their presence instills fear as much as it comforts.

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the union has provided a modicum of stability for the workers

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Introduction

The workers at the Guatemalan factory CimaTextiles formed a union in 2001. They won a collective bargaining agreement in 2003, and since then have struggled to protect their gains. The corporation which owns the factory, Choi & Shin Co., Inc., consistently tries to break the union's back, and has since its inception. etc. etc. Here is the union's wiki. Here are the pictures from the protest. Here is the urgent action.

This section is under construction. Thank you for your patience.