Elder
For more information on the case, see National Labor Committee's report.
Statement by SweatFree Communities:
September 12, 2006
Ron Sher, President & CEO
Elder Manufacturing Company
12747 Olive Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63141-6269 U.S.A.
Phone: 314.469.1120
Fax: 314.469.0523
Re: Severance Compensation owed to Salvadoran Workers
Dear Mr. Sher,
On behalf of SweatFree Communities, I am writing to express great concerns regarding the situation involving workers formerly employed at your Quality plant in El Salvador.
We understand that in mid-August operations that formerly took place at Quality were relocated a considerable distance to the Tom Sawyer facility in the town of Santa Ana - more than 60 kilometers from the Quality site in Soyapango, El Salvador. We appreciate the fact that your company has recognized that not all of the workers will be able to relocate to the new factory. However, we are very concerned that Elder Manufacturing has not agreed to pay these workers 100% of the severance compensation that is due to them.
SweatFree Communities is a national coalition of anti-sweatshop organizations. We represent concerned citizens in dozens of communities across the country that don't want their purchases or tax dollars to support sweatshop abuses in the apparel industry. Thanks to the efforts of community members, labor, students, people of faith and others, Los Angeles Unified School District, Milwaukee Public School District, Saint Paul Public School District, and 20 school districts in New York State have adopted "sweatfree" purchasing policies. Many of these school districts have students in uniform. In addition, Newark Archdiocese, Rockville Diocese (in Long Island), Albany Diocese, and Buffalo Diocese have adopted policies requiring that school uniforms supplied to area Catholic schools must be made in conditions that respect worker rights.
We are encouraged to know that Elder's legal counsel has engaged in negotiations with worker representatives. However, we understand Elder has sought to persuade these workers to accept less that 100% of the severance due to them. We strongly believe that these workers, some of whom who worked for Quality for as many as fourteen years, are entitled to their full accumulated terminal compensation. These workers have played a significant role in your company's success and we trust that your company will want to live up to its commitment to social responsibility by paying the workers what they are rightfully owed.
I look forward to hearing from you as to how you and your company will respond to the situation. We hope that you will do the right thing by paying 100% of the severance owed to the workers.
Sincerely,
Liana Foxvog, National Organizer
SweatFree Communities
