TORONTO, May 31 /CNW/ - Garment and service workers across North America
will join workers from a Canadian warehouse in leafleting American Eagle
Outfitters stores in 18 cities over three days. From Vancouver to Pittsburgh,
thousands of Canadian and U.S. shoppers will learn of unfair treatment of
workers at the third-party warehouse, National Logistics Services (NLS), that
distributes merchandise to American Eagle stores throughout Canada. American
Eagle Outfitters, the largest customer of NLS, manufactures casual clothing
for young men and women and operates nearly 1,000 stores in North America.
In late April, a majority of workers at National Logistics Services
(NLS), in Mississauga, outside of Toronto, applied to the Ontario Labour
Relations Board to have UNITE HERE certified as their union in order to
improve their working conditions, including stagnating wages and a lack of job
security. Employing a tactic outside the norm of labour relations in Ontario,
NLS hired a U.S.-based labour relations firm that orchestrated an anti-union
campaign of harassment and intimidation against the 180 workers. After this
campaign of misinformation, workers lost the vote for a union despite
expressing a desire to form a union just one week before.
"We work hard and want to be treated fairly," said an NLS worker who
spoke anonymously for fear of retaliation. "We feel insecure about our jobs
because of the company's intimidation. We need a union because we have no
voice."
While American Eagle now outsources its distribution operations to NLS,
the clothing company directly owned and operated the distribution centre until
early 2006. Since the takeover by NLS, workers have reported that conditions
have deteriorated.
American Eagle has, thus far, denied any responsibility, in direct
contradiction to its stated responsibilities outlined in its Code of Conduct
for Contractors, part of the retailer's efforts to promote "corporate social
responsibility." The code requires that "contractors must respect the rights
of employees to associate freely, join organizations of their choice and
bargain collectively without interference."
"If American Eagle is serious about their Code of Conduct, then they will
demand compliance from NLS for Canadian workers, just as they will for garment
workers in China sewing jeans or shorts," said UNITE HERE's Canadian
Co-Director, Alex Dagg. "Furthermore, American Eagle should not think it can
flout its own rules by going across the border to Canada or across the ocean
to Asia."
UNITE HERE members and activists are calling on American Eagle to apply
its Code of Conduct to the workers at NLS, distribution workers as critical to
its supply chain as those who sew or sell its clothing. Leaflets will be
distributed in front of American Eagle stores in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal,
Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton and Winnipeg as well as New York, Pittsburgh, Los
Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Boston,
Philadelphia and Denver. The actions mark the escalation of UNITE HERE's
efforts to hold American Eagle accountable to its own standards. Since
learning of the NLS worker intimidation campaign, more than 3,000 UNITE HERE
members and supporters throughout North America (including many student
activists) have contacted American Eagle and NLS to voice their outrage with
the tactics used at the warehouse.
UNITE HERE represents more than 450,000 active union members and more
than 400,000 retirees in the U.S. and Canada including those who sew, ship and
sell clothing. With more than a century of history in the apparel industry,
the union has fought to improve working conditions in North America and in
sweatshops overseas. Today, over 30,000 members work at more than 200
distribution centres, including Liz Claiborne, Levi's and TJX stores, which
include Marshalls, TJ Maxx, HomeSense and Winners.
Store Visits will take place in:
Toronto - Thursday May 31st
Montreal - Thursday May 31st
Edmonton - Thursday May 31st
Hamilton - Thursday May 31st
St. Catharines - Friday, June 1st
Calgary - Friday, June 1st
Vancouver - Friday, June 1st
For further information: Please call Wynne Hartviksen at (416) 473-2632
for exact times and locations
