WHEREAS:

An injury to one is an injury to all; and

WHEREAS:

The basic rights of workers regardless of their nationality should and must be respected by U.S. corporations; and

WHEREAS:

The globalization of the U.S. economy increasingly ties U.S. wages and working conditions to those abroad; and

WHEREAS:

The development of maquiladoras anywhere that are based on the exploitation of cheap and repressed labor is against the interest of workers everywhere; and

WHEREAS:

There has been a tremendous growth in Guatemala's maquiladora sector, most of which produces apparel for familiar, brand-name U.S. firms; and

WHEREAS:

This growth has been based in large part on the exploitation of repressed labor, including inadequate wages of $1-3 a day, physical and sexual abuse, repression of labor activists and, effectively, the prohibition of unions; and

WHEREAS:

This further situation encourages runaway shops, leading to unemployment in the U.S., fiscal crises in state and local governments, reduced social services and layoffs of public employees, too; and

WHEREAS:

There is only one union in the 45,000 worker maquiladora sector in Guatemala, whose members were fired or suspended over two years ago; and

WHEREAS:

Women workers at two factories owned by the U.S.'s leading marketer of men's shirts, Phillips-Van Heusen, have been struggling since March 1991 to form a union as a response to paycuts and allegations of abuse.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees:

1. Extends a greeting of solidarity to the workers who are struggling to form a union at two plants owned by Phillips Van Heusen, the U.S.'s leading marketer of men's shirts;
2. Calls on Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation to recognize the union, negotiate with it, and to promise the workers that it won't close the factories if a union is formed;
3. Urges the government of Guatemala to act immediately on applications that have been filed for union recognition by workers at the Phillips-Van Heusen plants and other factories in Guatemala's maquiladora sector;
4. Extends a greeting of solidarity to other workers who seek to form unions to fight for decent wages and improved working conditions in other maquiladora factories in Guatemala;
5. Endorses the Phillips-Van Heusen campaign coordinated by the U.S./Guatemala Labor Education Project.

SUBMITTED BY:

Martin Lahr, M.D., President
David Gowing, M.D., Secretary
AFSCME Local 3327, Council 75
Oregon