Pittsburgh Baseball Sweatshop Talks Continue as 2006 ALL STAR Nears:
Submitted on Sun, 07/09/2006 - 9:10pm
Anti-Sweatshop Proclamation by Pittsburgh Pirates Within Reach - Anti Sweatshop Activists Volunteer at the All Star Fan Fest- Contact: Kenneth Miller - 412.241.1339
- Celeste Taylor - 412.670.0937
The delegation brought forth a series of demands stemming from the demands of international garment workers, including the National Garment Workers Federation of Bangladesh. The demands are also based on the example set by the United Students against Sweatshops and the Workers Rights Consortium. Communities that identify with a specific logo, such as colleges universities, extend civil and human rights protections to the factories where the logo apparel are produced.
The PASCA delegation and representatives of the Pirates and MLB reviewed the a proposed "We-are-Global-Familee" anti-sweatshop All Star Declaration that would lay a foundation for future work and a proactive approach to addressing sweatshop conditions in the Pirates apparel and promotional supply chain. Patty Paytas of the Pirates told the PASCA delegation that she would circulate the document through the team's organization with a sense of urgency.
After meeting with the Pirates and MLB, Stevens commented on the connections between anti-sweatshop organizing and other civil and human rights struggles. "This is a labor issue and Pittsburgh is a place with very high standards for workers rights. We are going to use this All Star opportunity to make a difference. This is what members of the Black Political Empowerment Project mean when we talk about moving from Complaint to Possibility," said Stevens.
Saturday's meeting follows a series of communications between PASCA and the Pirates, including a letter sent to Kevin McClatchy, Pirates CEO, by Tom Lewandowski, an international labor rights leader. Lewandowski is President of the Fort Wayne Indiana Central Labor Council and is a driving force behind the anti-sweatshop movement's wage disclosure demand. Lewandowski was the AFL-CIO representative in Poland through much of the 1990s.
"Wages paid to workers at the point of manufacture must be disclosed and certified under threat of real economic and legal sanctions otherwise corruption, fraud, and exploitation are tolerated and even fostered. The principles and practices of wage disclosure and certified payroll have been key tenants of both the building and construction trades unions and the US government since the passage of the Davis-Bacon Act in 1931. The nature of the construction industry made it necessary then and indispensable now. The current nature of the global apparel industry makes it a necessity for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the community of Pittsburgh, the credibility of Major League Baseball, and, most importantly, workers in the apparel industry. Whether in construction or apparel, blind eye end users corrupt our principles and lives." [from Lewandowski's letter to McClatchy]
PASCA members are committed Pirates fans and are excited to be part of the All Star games in Pittsburgh. One member of PASCA, David Clark Clagett will be volunteering on Sunday July 9, 2006 at the Taco Bell Sunday at PNC Park to show his support for both fair play and his favorite baseball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clagett is a member of the Industrial Workers of the World and is a United Students Against Sweatshops Alumni from Florida State University.
"Of course the Pirates are going to do the right thing and encourage MLB to adopt the academic standard for sweatshop accountability at the 2006 All Star Game. This is about Human Rights and accountability," said Clagett.
"By meeting with us on Saturday, the Pirates demonstrated their concern for protecting the dignity of the Pirates logo and being a force for positive change in the global apparel industry. It is with great pride in my new city and home team that I volunteer at PNC Park today and march from Freedom Corner to PNC Park for the Anti-Sweatshop Carnival on Tuesday," added Clagett.
Leafleting at Fan Fest and All Star related events, members of PASCA have confirmed Pittsburgher's high standards for worker rights and their hope that the Pirates will use the opportunity of the 2006 All Star Game to be part of a "Civil Rights Bridge" between PNC Park and the floor of the global sweatshop. Celeste Taylor, a Civil Rights Activist who was active as a college student in the struggle against South African apartheid, now serves on the board of SweatFree Communities, "Roberto Clemente would expect no less."
Visit http://www.sweatfree.org/baseball for more information including the SweatFree Communities letter to Pirate CEO Kevin McClatchy, an Anti-Sweatshop Declaration that the Pirates are being asked to sign before the 2006 All Star Game, the Proposed "We-are-Global-Familee" Pittsburgh City Council Resolution, and recent press releases, media stories and fliers about PASCA/ 2006 All-Star Game.