Keep BJ&B Open!

Workers at BJ&B, a cap factory in the Dominican Republic producing for colleges/universities, the NBA, and the NFL NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

Workers at BJ&B have fought for many years to have their union recognized and to win their collective bargaining agreement. BJ&B was the first factory in any free trade zone in the Dominican Republic to provide for wages above the legally required minimum standard.

However, the factory is in danger of shutting its doors.

DON’T LET THE FACTORY CLOSE!

BJ&B has an historic relationship with USAS -- we have been working together since 2002, when the BJ&B union was first formed and recognized. Since then, USAS has been active in investigations and actions to eradicate many long-term problems in the factory such as forced overtime, verbal harassment of workers by supervisors, and repeated efforts to coerce and intimidate workers who sought unionization.

The collective bargaining agreement has been repeatedly disrespected by the company. Additionally, there is evidence of union busting, Yupoong, the parent company of BJ&B, has been moving production from BJ&B (a unionized factory) to Mocarea (also in the Domincan Republic) and Dhaka, Bangladesh, two non-union facilities. Massive firings since January in BJ&B and massive hirings at Mocarea and Dhaka are not just a mere coincidence.

Failure to carry out legally binding contract provisions, and the dismissal of workers because of unionization, are in direct violation of college and university codes of conduct. The closing of BJ&B is imminent unless this type of egregious behavior is ended.

Let Yupoong know that we will not stand for this! Tell Nike and Reebok that they have to respect codes of conduct and that union busting and unfulfilled collective bargaining agreements are not acceptable!!!

TAKE ACTION NOW!!

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Keep BJ&B Open!

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

It has come to my attention that the BJ&B factory in the Dominican Republic is in danger of closure. BJ&B is one of the few places in the world where there is an active and strong union in a free trade zone and it would be a travesty if this factory is closed. I ask that you take whatever steps are necessary to insure that this plant remain open specifically by placing more orders at the BJ&B factory.

I also ask that that you encourage Yupoong, BJ&B's parent company, to refrain from anti-union activity and discrimination. Our university's codes of conduct must be enforced, and it is the responsibility of our licensees to implement these standards at all levels of their supply chain. We find that our codes of conduct have been violated in three distinct areas and we seek immediate compliance.

I ask that you encourage Yupoong from refraining from further lay-offs at the BJ&B plant and implement a program which reinstates workers to levels of that of 2003. I also insist that workers receive the 10% wage increase which was negotiated in their Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2003. I find that Yupoong has systematically denied the salary increase in defiance of Dominican law and codes of conduct of the WRC and FLA. I insist that Yupong refrain from further anti-union activity and cease transferring production to the non-unionized plant Mocarea Dominicana in an effort to stifle union activity.

Evidence of Yupoong's violations can be seen in the recently published WRC memo regarding BJ&B. We at USAS are firm in our assertion that the BJ&B factory should remain open, their CBA be respected and workers receive their wage increase, and that production should not be shifted out of a spirit of anti-union animus.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
October 27, 2004

Background Information

The latest developlements at the BJ&B factory in the Dominican Republic are extremely troubling. A successful remediation program was carried out there in 2002 and 2003, involving both the Worker Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association. Factory Management has willfully failed to implement a central provision of the collective bargaining agreement signed with the factory union last year – the provision calls for a substantial salary incentive to have been implemented in early 2004 – in addition to refusing to make a contribution to a worker cooperative fund also required by the contract. Further, BJ&B’s parent company, Yupoong, has engaged in a program of anti-union discrimination by targeting workers at BJ&B for massive layoffs while maintaining employment levels at its non-union production facilities.

Failure to carry out legally binding contract provisions, and the dismissal of workers because of unionization, are clear violations of college/university codes of conduct.

Of even greater concern, there is evidence that Yupoong may be planning to shut down BJ&B entirely.

These developments are especially disturbing given the remarkable progress BJ&B had previously made towards code compliance. One of the first factories that caught the attention of student anti-sweatshop activists, BJ&B has been widely recognized as a stand-out example of the way in which college and university codes of conduct can be used to transform working conditions in apparel factories. After the WRC contacted licensees in early 2002 concerning illegal dismissals of pro-union workers at BJ&B, Nike and Reebok intervened. The workers in question were reinstated and a process of remediation ensued, leading to the elimination of long-standing problems at the plant, including forced overtime, verbal harassment of workers by supervisors, and repeated efforts to coerce and intimidate workers who sought unionization. In the fall of 2002, BJ&B management recognized the union that a majority of workers had elected to join, and a few months later signed a collective bargaining agreement -- the first in any free trade zone factory in the Dominican Republic to provide for wages above the legal minimum requirement. These achievements were featured in a prominent New York Times article in April 2003.

This amazing victory for worker organizing and USAS' model of student-worker solidarity is hanging in the balance. We must show Nike and Reebok that the situation at BJ&B is serious and it is imperative that they take action to ensure that the factory remains open! Take action today!