Yesterday in class (1/9/13) we took out test on The Civil
War. Today in class 1/10/13 we presented are intergraded American Studies
projects in the library. It was really interesting to see everyone’s project,
and the cause that they were committed to. The cause I was committed to was
sweatshops. Sweatshops are factories where workers get paid a very low wage,
work for long hours, work in poor and dangerous conditions and are treated
horrible by their employers. Most sweatshops are seen throughout Asia, China,
and Latin America. At a young age children are forced to work with their
mothers in hazardous conditions, they are forced to handle toxic substances
like chemical paint and glue. Sweatshops are also located in the United States
where workers experience similar horrible working conditions. A lot of the
high-end clothing people wear in the United States today was produced in
sweatshops. For example some items like Gap and Nike sell are known to be
produced in sweatshops. One of the best things you can do to help stop
sweatshops is inform people about them! When most people think of Nike, they
think high-end and made in a USA factory with care. The sad thing is this isn't true Nike is a large contributor to this modern day form of slavery. Several
organizations have set their priorities to stopping this horrific labor but
more still need to be done. Another aspect that needs to be looked at is the
amount of money that companies are paying their CEO’s. The cost of advertising
and CEO salaries has come before workers safety and this is a large problem
that we face today. In 2007, Mark G. Parker, who is the CEO of NIKE made
$6,227,968. In 2007, NIKE’s advertising budget was $678 million. A study has
shown that if NIKE took 1% of its advertising budget and added it to their
workers salary they could have enough money to feed and clothe their workers
and their families properly. American’s need to become informed and realize
that a modern day form of slavery still exists in America today.
No comments:
Post a Comment