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GARMENT WORKERS CENTER
Community Newsletter
May-July 2009
May day 2009

¿Quienes somos? Who are we?
!Fuertes Trabajador@s de la Costura! Strong Garment Workers!

As we arrive at the half point of this 2009, we want to take a moment to thank all the wonderful volunteers and community supporters who have given their time and donations to help make the work at GWC possible. This year has been exciting and full of valuable learning and organizing experiences. We want to share with you some of our accomplishments. So here are some news…

May Day 2009

This year we hit the streets again to celebrate the long and powerful history of workers’ struggles
all over the world. As Super Luchador@s we marched through the downtown Fashion District calling on other garment workers to join the struggle and celebration. For us, it is important that other workers understand the rich history full of brave women and men who decided
to take action and who fought to better working conditions not only for them, but also for future generations. We proudly learn from them and stand on their shoulders as we continue in our fight to end the exploitation and abuse within the garment industry!

Radio Project

During our outreach for May Day, the GWC Radio Project reached a major milestone. On April 9th we where invited to participate in a live interview on Nuestra Voz, a KPFK Spanish language program. Juliana, Cruz and Miguel, the three compañer@s who spoke on live radio for the first time, did an amazing job! The interview can be found on the KPFK audio archives (Nuestra Voz, APRIL 9TH, 2009) (the interview starts on minute 38). You can also listen to our past Radio Project programs at http://garmentworkercenter.org/audio/. We are excited to see this project grow; keep an eye out for updates and possible shows on air. We also want to recognize and thank the financial contribution of the Media Justice Fund. Their contributions have supported the Garment Workers Center’s strong work so garment workers can develop their knowledge and skills on how to do and run their own radio programming. Furthermore, the work has raised their consciousness to communications/media issues, such as independent media, Low Power FM and on the House Bill 2802 and Senate Bill 1675 for the local community Radio Act.

Wage Claims
From the moment GWC opened its doors in 2001, workers have been coming to the Center seeking support with getting back their stolen wages. Most workers in the industry are paid based on the number of pieces they finish, earning an average of $3.50-$4.00 per hour with no overtime pay. The violations in these factories go beyond wages; health and safety codes are systematically ignored. An atmosphere of intimidation by bosses and aggressive competition amongst workers create a context in which most of these violations go unchallenged. This is not the case with GWC members!

At the center, workers find other workers who are eager to share their experiences and knowledge. These Consejer@s de Casos regularly participate in trainings and exercises to better their skills and knowledge. However, it is not they who confront the employers; it’s the actual workers who are are doing the wage claim who confront their employers and demand their stolen wages and break violations to be paid in full. We do factory visits and confront the employers and manufacturers. While at the factories and while the demand letters are being handed, more GWC members are distributing fliers to the other workers in the factory. The solidarity, organized workers’ presence and spirit is definitely felt by the workers. We have been successful in the majority of wage claims.
So far this year -2009- there has been:
• ___50_____ factory visits
• ___28_____ negotiations
• $75,000.00_ monies recovered

Contributors/Supporters

We want to warmly thank all of our community donors for their volunteer time, financial contributions, and in-kind donations to the Garment Worker Center. With your support, the organizing work continues to be beating strong. We also take this opportunity to make a call for more of your financial support. Your money contribution goes directly to rent, bills, food, materials, etc. Please call us at 213.748.5866 or go to our donate link on www.garmentworkercenter.org

We also want to thank the following foundations for their support
• Media Justice Fund
• Dianne Middleton Foundation
• The Roth Family Foundation
• The Women’s’ Foundation
• California Endowment
• Hispanics in Philanthropy

Volunteer

Are you asking yourself: “Wow, how can I be a part of this?” Well then, here is how you can make a difference and support the garment workers of Los Angeles who are fighting everyday to end the exploitation.

• RESEARCHERS:
As you all may already know, a very important component of organizing is having and doing consistent, continuous, and thorough research. We NEED volunteer researchers to support us in doing our garment industry research.

• Child Care:
Garment Workers are much more than just workers. Many have little people and we believe that it is important for workers to know and feel that being political and involved in the struggle to change the workplace conditions can also involve their families and loved ones. Afterall, we are committed to supporting that all aspects of life for all are with dignity and justice. So, Child Care Volunteers rotate childcare responsibilities to ensure that all garment workers have the opportunity to take on the role of an organizer. This allows parents, mainly mothers, and family members the chance to educate and empower themselves. We welcome loving and imaginative folks who want to participate and support this vision.

• Food:
Access to quality foods can be limited in the communities where most Garment Workers live. Food volunteers rotate the responsibility of preparing home made meals to share during our meetings. We encourage the use of greens, veggies and healthier food products. You can sign up and share with all of us your favorite recipes!

• Cine Foro:
The problems faced by Garment Workers in Los Angeles are not unique. Through movies, documentaries, story telling and other media and creative expressions, we explore the struggles and resistance of people all over the world. During the CineForo, volunteers help facilitate a dialogue in Spanish with garment workers that deepens the understanding of these issues.

For more information call or e-mail us:
gwc@garmentworkercenter.org
213.748.5866 (tel)
213.748.5876 (fax)

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Volunteer!

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