No Cutting and Running! Keep Cimatextiles and Choishin Open!

Don't let Liz Claiborne, Talbots, and Macy's abandon union workers by cutting and running from Cimatextiles and Choishin! Cimatextiles has closed down as a result of brands not supporting union workers and cutting off business to the factory, and nearby Choishin has recently seen a decrease in its production. The workers say that if the factories close, the majority female workforce will be unable to support their families and may be blacklisted from future employment because of their union involvement. You can make a direct impact on the lives of hundreds of Guatemalan garment workers by pressuring brands today. Take action to support union workers and keep Cimatextiles and Choishin open!

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Support Cimatextiles and Choishin!

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing today to express my outrage over the recent closure of the Cimatextiles factory in Guatemala, the decrease in production at the nearby Choishin factory, and the ongoing threats against Cimatextiles' union leaders. I am sure you are aware that the workers of Cimatextiles and Choishin established two of the first unions in Guatemala's garment sector in 2001. Despite these historic gains, the unionized workers have been subjected to repeated acts of intimidation and harassment, and violations of their collective bargaining agreements.

The most disturbing violations of company codes of conduct and Guatemalan law have occurred at Cimatextiles in recent months. On May 19, 2007, the management of Cimatextiles illegally announced that the factory would be closing for three months. According to Guatemalan law, an official notice of the factory's closure must be filed with the labor ministry. The management of Cimatextiles and Choishin has made claims about a lack of orders, while simultaneously applying for a separate business license to set up production at an entirely new factory with a non-unionized workforce. In addition to this, the same management continues to systematically mistreat workers with intimidation tactics. Not only have workers reported seeing a manager with a gun and bullets inside Cimatextiles, but workers have also been physically assaulted, locked inside the factory against their will, and union leaders have been threatened with retaliation for organizing. On June 6, the General Secretary of the Cimatextiles union received death threats in response to her efforts to keep the factory open. Most recently, the management of Cimatextiles has refused to issue workers the severance pay they agreed to in negotiations with the union, and workers at Choishin have noticed alarmingly low levels of production at the factory in the past weeks, making them concerned that their union is going to be targeted next.

To date, there has been insufficient action on the part of your company, and other American clothing brands that source from Cimatextiles and Choishin, in addressing the gross violations of your code of conduct, the Guatemalan Labor Code, international law, and basic human rights. Moreover, this inaction and cutting and running from Cimatextiles and Choishin gives tacit approval to those who use threats of violence to intimidate workers and break up unions in Guatemala, and sets a terrible precedent in the both the Guatemalan and global garment industries. By cutting and running from two of the only unionized factories in which the right to freedom of association is respected, you will be showing a lack of commitment to the basic principles inherent in your company's code of conduct.

If your company is to exhibit a real commitment to ensuring that your goods are produced under dignified working conditions, then immediate action must be taken to ensure that the union workers at Cimatextiles and Choishin remain employed, and that they receive all the benefits they are due under law and from past agreements, including withheld severance pay. Orders should be redirected to Cimatextiles so that it is not only reopened, but that the factory produces at full capacity. Additionally, business should be directed to Choishin to ensure that it operates at full capacity again. It is also imperative that the threats and acts of intimidation against union leadership cease, and that those responsible for creating a climate of fear in the factories be brought to justice. A lack of decisive and urgent action on your part in the immediate future, can only be interpreted as evidence of a blatant disregard for the violations of human and labor rights that are being committed daily at Cimatextiles and Choishin.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
June 27, 2007


Background Information

Cimatextiles and Choishin are two of the only unionized garment factories in Guatemala, and are seen as a litmus test of whether labor and human rights can actually be enforced in today's climate of predatory pricing by corporations combined with the inability of governments to uphold international law. Rumors of Cimatextiles' impending closure began circulating among workers months ago, and members of the union have been sleeping overnight in the factory continuously since May 14. The purpose of this sustained vigil is to prevent Cimatextiles' management from closing down the factory in the middle of the night and disappearing without paying workers legally mandated severance. In recent weeks, there have been reports of decreased production at Choishin, and workers believe that the management of these two factories is trying to break up the unions. Workers have reported being intimidated by management with a gun, physically assaulted, locked inside their workplace against their will, and union leaders have even received death treats for organizing. On May 19, the management informed workers that Cimatextiles would be immediately closing for three months, which Guatemalan labor inspectors subsequently deemed illegal. While making claims about a lack of orders, the management of Cimatextiles and Cimatextiles has simultaneously applied for a separate business license to set up production at an entirely new factory. The workers believe that these actions are designed to deliberately bust up the unions and start production anew with a non-unionized workforce. American clothing companies including Liz Claiborne, Talbots, and Macy's house-brand Charter Club, all source production orders from Cimatextiles and Choishin, and they have the power to keep the factories open and stop the intimidation of union workers. Tell Liz Claiborne, Talbots, and Macy's that they must ensure that these union workers remain employed, are no longer threatened or intimidated, and that their labor rights are respected according to law!