Government and Labor Leaders Join Archbishop for Sweatshop Initiative An initiative to educate principals, teachers and students in the Archdiocese of Newark about the injustice of sweatshops was unveiled by Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick at a news conference today at the Archdiocesan Center in Newark. The initiative is a joint effort of the Archdiocese of Newark, Federal and State Labor Departments and UNITE, the garment workers' union. Two components of the initiative were presented. The first, an initial consumer action program, is already in progress. The program identifies manufacturers of Catholic school uniforms sold in the Archdiocese, attempts to determine compliance to labor laws, and informs school principals of the status of such companies. The program will ask manufacturers and suppliers to conform to fair labor standards. In conjunction with the consumer action, schools in the Archdiocese are supplied with a learning module to teach students in grades seven through 12 about labor issues and the injustice of sweatshops. On hand for the launch of the program was United States Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, UNITE Executive Vice President Bruce Raynor, and Fred Lopez, Deputy Commissioner of the NJ State Department of Labor. The learning module has already begun to be distributed to Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese. The rest of the schools and religious education programs in the Archdiocese will receive them in the near future. The module was a combined effort of the sponsoring agencies and offers teachers and students clear insight into the meaning and effects of sweatshops. Sr. Dominica Rocchio, Secretary for Education in the Archdiocese was present to describe function and expectations of the learning module. Students and teachers from Catholic schools in the Archdiocese were present to react to the materials. Early responses indicate an enthusiastic reaction from both teachers and students. Two former sweatshop employees told of the nightmare conditions under which they used to work. Poor wages, long hours, unfair labor practices, threats and reprisals were described by the former sweatshop workers. There are approximately 23,450 students in grades seven to 12 in 185 Catholic elementary and high schools in the Archdiocese. The program is expected to be expanded to include all elementary grades. The pilot program is available to be duplicated by other dioceses and public school districts throughout the country. The Archdiocese of Newark is comprised of four counties: Union, Hudson, Essex and Bergen.
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