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Tell Metra: No Fares for Sweatshop Wear!
Cintas is the largest uniform rental provider and industrial launderer in North America. The UNITE union has been helping workers organize nation-wide. Cintas operates six facilities in the Chicago area. Through poverty wages, discriminating against women and minority employees and abusing sweatshop labor, Cintas has enjoyed 34 years of consecutive growth in both profits and revenues. Metra is the suburban public train system for the Chicagoland area. METRA maintains a contract with Cintas for the purchase of employee uniforms. The contract is valued at $6.6 million. Our taxpayer dollars and fare money should not be given to a company that refuses to respect workers and the law - Tell Metra: No Fares for Sweatshop Wear!
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: No Fares for Sweatshop Wear
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
As Jobs with Justice (JWJ) and a number of community, labor, and religious organizations have brought to your attention, Cintas Corporation is a law-breaking company that has profited by violating wage and hour laws, discriminating against its women and minority employees, and subcontracting with sweatshops in Chicago and abroad where workers earn illegally low wages.
As an agency funded by tax-payer dollars and rider fares, Metra has a responsibility to conduct business only with companies that respect the law. With over 1,000 petitions from Metra riders calling for Metra to terminate its relationship with Cintas, Metra riders have spoken clearly. No Fares for Sweatshop Wear!
I encourage you to exercise your managerial authority by deeming Cintas a non-responsible bidder and awarding Metra's uniform contract to a company that will respect worker health and safety laws, allow employees to exercise their right to organize a union, respect its women and minority employees and ensure that its garments are produced under humane and legal working conditions.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
April 15, 2004
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The Facts on Cintas
Cintas is the largest uniform rental provider and industrial launderer in North America. The company operates six facilities in the Chicago area. Through poverty wages, discriminating against women and minority employees and abusing sweatshop labor, Cintas has enjoyed 34 years of consecutive growth in both profits and revenues.
The vast majority of Cintas production workers are women and people of color, many of them recent immigrants who work in near sweatshop conditions, earning less than the federal poverty level with no affordable health insurance benefits.
Cintas subcontracts with sweatshop labor in Chicago where workers report earning as little as $30 after 10 hours of work. Workers say they are required to work through lunch breaks and have been made to work off-the-clock.
Former and current employees of Cintas allege a pattern of racial and gender discrimination shunting women and minorities into lower paying positions. Employees are filing class action charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and a federal class action lawsuit in federal district court.
Since 2001, Metra has maintained a contract with Cintas for the purchase of employee uniforms. The contract is valued at $6.6 million. The current contract expires in June, and Metra is considering bids from a number of uniform providers, including Cintas.
Please call Jeffrey Ladd, Metra Chairman at 312/322-6968. Demand that Metra sever its agreement with Cintas immediately. Tell Metra to purchase uniforms from companies that respect workers and the law.
For more information please contact UNITE at (312) 738-6159.
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