Brian Hyland  (973) 497-4187

For Release September 21, 1998

PRESS ADVISORY/PHOTO OP
Students Reject Brand Names in Favor of "No Sweat" Products 

Students of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Newark have taken what they've learned about sweatshops and put it into practice. The attached story marks the success of a "Stop Sweatshops" campaign launched last year by the Archdiocese. 

At 1 p.m. on Thursday, September 24, students at St. John Nepomucene Grammar School in North Bergen will celebrate their new-learned lesson in consumerism with Msgr. John J. Gilchrist, labor liaison for the Archdiocese. At that celebration, students will receive T-shirts which proclaim that "These clothes were not made by exploited women and children in non-union sweatshops." 

Editors are welcome to use all or part of the attached story to accompany event coverage.

On-Site Contact: Brian Hyland (201) 888-6712 

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Archdiocese of Newark is Changing Hearts and Minds, "No Sweat"
by Brian Hyland 
September 1998 

At St. John Nepomucene Grammar school in North Bergen, students are taking what they've learned much further than the classroom, according to Principal Jennifer Huegel. "After learning about sweatshops from the Archdiocesan curriculum we taught last year, students were going out of their way to shop 'sweat-free,'" said Huegel. "Several students actually came into my office during the summer and asked if certain companies or brands were 'OK' according to a list provided by the New Jersey Department of Labor." 

The curriculum to which Huegel is referring is part of an initiative to combat sweatshops developed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark last year. "Stop Sweatshops," developed in cooperation with Federal and State Departments of Labor, UNITE and other labor organizations, has since gained national attention. 

The initiative was sparked in 1996, when events in the city of Newark and its surrounding region caused an increased knowledge and exposure of illegal "sweatshops" operating in that area. Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick and Monsignor John J. Gilchrist, labor liaison for the Archdiocese of Newark, determined that an effort was necessary to bring local attention to these "sweatshops" in the Archdiocese and to bring the public together opposing such injustices. 

The Archdiocese invited representatives of several agencies to join a committee that would meet over a two-year period. Committee members included representatives from the Archdiocese, the United States Department of Labor, the New Jersey Department of Labor, the Communications Union (CWA) and the garment workers' union (UNITE). They decided the initiative should be twofold, including aspects of education about sweatshops and some action against sweatshops. 

The twofold initiative was launched during a press conference in October 1997. During that conference, Archbishop McCarrick, United States Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, New Jersey Labor Deputy Commissioner Fred Lopez and Bruce Raynor, executive vice-president of UNITE provided their support of the program and answered questions regarding their contributions to the project. 

The Archdiocese of Newark's curriculum was distributed last Fall for use in grades seven through 12. It discusses the reality of sweatshops (there are hundreds in Northern New Jersey), describes the history of the labor movement in secular and religious terms and teaches students to evaluate consumer items they wanted to buy. With the help of government agencies, the Archdiocese also investigated its school uniform vendors and their manufacturers for compliance to fair labor standards and laws. 

As a result of the educational initiative, students of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese have not only expressed interest in learning more about sweatshops, but they have also been led to action. Bryan Hughes, a student at Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains, said that it's important for young people like himself to get involved.

"People are always talking about how horrible the situation is," he said in a reaction paper for his World Studies class, "but no one is willing to do anything to try and stop it. When a whole group of people voice their opinion, it is much harder for the businesses to ignore them. By discussing in class the lives of these sweatshop workers, students can be encouraged to get involved. Instead of just watching all this injustice, they can be proud to say that they did something to help stop sweatshops." 

Tracy Sapinski, a student at St. Philip the Apostle Grammar School in Saddle Brook, discussed ways that she could get involved. "From now on," she said, "when I go shopping I will ask if the clothing I am buying is being made in sweatshops." 

Tony Lopez, a student at St. John Nepomucene said that he tried such measures, but was met with disturbing resistance. "I went to (a store) with a friend of mine, and saw that they were selling sneakers that I heard were made in sweatshops," Lopez said. "I asked the manager if he knew that (this brand) was accused of hiring sweatshop labor, and he said that he knew. When I asked why he was still selling (that brand), he said he refused to comment on that and then kicked us out of the store." 

Monsignor John J. Gilchrist, labor liaison for the Archdiocese and an integral participant in the sweatshop initiative, said that such a response is not surprising. "It's a typical reaction," he said. "There's an embarrassment on the part of an employee who knows his or her store is selling goods made in sweatshop conditions. But that embarrassment is not necessarily a bad thing. If more companies were embarrassed by their actions, sweatshop labor would be virtually nonexistent." 

"The Archdiocese is not out to embarrass companies," Gilchrist continued. "But we are letting them know that such behavior is not acceptable, and we will not do business with a company that puts the lives or well-being of its workers in danger." 

The Archdiocese has stood its ground. Before the school year began, the New Jersey Department of Labor evaluated each company that provides uniforms to students in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Newark. Following those evaluations, it was determined that no Catholic school in the Archdiocese was purchasing goods that were created in sweatshops.

"Honestly, we were relieved," said Sr. Dominica Rocchio, secretary of education and superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese. "When we received that report, it meant that, number one, we are and most likely have been dealing with reputable vendors, ones that were honest. Number two, I dreaded what would have happened if any of these vendors were not on the up and up. We have developed relationships with these vendors. We would be losing some pretty strong relationships if we had to cancel our orders." 

One vendor got the scare of his career, according to Sr. Dominica. Apparently, when he approached some schools for orders, the principals told him that he wasn't on their list of approved companies. The principals told him that they couldn't place the orders. It turned out that the vendor had not responded to the initial request to provide employment information. He almost immediately submitted the required information, Sr. Dominica said, and was evaluated by the Department of Labor shortly after that. "It was a good thing he came to me," she said. "He would have lost many orders." 

Another vendor of Catholic school uniforms said that it's actually not difficult to be "sweat free." "It's not cheaper if you end up having to send it back," said Edward J. Flynn of Flynn and O'Hara Uniforms in Philadelphia. "There are all kinds of shortcuts, but who wants to take them? I have visited schools where my uniforms have been passed down over ten years. We don't even make some of those styles anymore, but the students are still wearing them. You don't find that kind of quality in garments coming from a sweatshop." 

Flynn added that if you see the same exact garment, one for $16 and the other for $8.50, it is not hard to conclude where the cheaper one came from. It's also more likely that the cheaper garment will not last. Flynn and O'Hara Uniforms has been selling uniforms to the Archdiocese for about 25 years, according to Flynn. They average one billion dollars a year in sales to Catholic school families. Flynn is one of 23 approved "sweat-free" vendors of school uniforms in the Archdiocese. 

The campaign was so successful that the Archdiocese has received more than 60 requests for more information from dioceses, educational institutions, social justice programs and public municipalities across the United States and Canada. Some have even begun similar initiatives as a result of Newark's campaign. 

Susan Zucker, assistant coordinator for the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition said that they plan to announce details of a program in October of this year. "We have been inspired by the "Stop Sweatshops" educational initiative undertaken by the Archdiocese of Newark," she said in a letter to the Archdiocese. "The Advisory Council [of our organization] met . . . and agreed to adopt Uniting Conscience and Community: A Campaign for Sweatfree Schools in New York State by 2001." 

Catholic archdioceses that plan to initiate a similar campaign include Chicago, IL; Omaha, NE; Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Other dioceses requesting information include Stockton and Sacramento CA; Rockville Center, Brooklyn, Albany and New York (Archdiocese), NY; Paterson, NJ; Wilmington, DE; Lincoln, NE; St. Petersburg, FL; Pittsburgh, PA; St. Paul MN; Charlotte, NC and Rockford, IL. 

Educational facilities that are getting involved include the Universities of Notre Dame, Duke and Marymount. 

Municipalities that have requested information include four counties in New Jersey: Gloucester, Essex, Hudson and Union. 

Organizations that have requested more information about the "Stop Sweatshops" initiative include the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Sweatshop Watch, the National Commission of Social Action of Reform Judaism, Global March Against Child Labor, the DeLaSalle Christian Brothers, the Department of Social Development for Catholic Charities, the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), the National Labor Committee, the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition. 

The Archdiocese has also sent information about the campaign to local churches of various faiths, several town and county councils and other private organizations and agencies. 

 

1998 News Releases