[Chat] Attn Gap shoppers: Saturday June 29th 1-2 pm rally at Harborplace Gap against Bangladesh factory deaths

[weinsteinm at aol.com]

By now everyone has heard about the over 1,000 people who died in the collapse of an apparel factory in Bangladesh two months ago, and the hundreds more who've died in fires in other Bangladesh clothing factories in the last couple of years.  In total, over 1800 Bangladeshi factory workers have died since 2005 in fires and building collapses in factories manufacturing for all the major American brands, including Gap, Walmart, Target, Sears, Levi's, and on down the line.  


As the New York Times reported last month:

Bangladesh is the world’s second-leading garment exporter, trailing only China, but the industry has been plagued by concerns over safety and angry protests over rock-bottom wages. The industry has grown rapidly in the past decade, particularly as rising wages in China have pushed many global clothing companies to look for lower costs elsewhere. Bangladesh has the lowest labor costs in the world, with the minimum wage for garment workers set at roughly $37 a month. (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/world/asia/bangladesh-building-collapse.html)



In response to the outcry over the recent disasters, 43 top brands and retailers, including H&M, PVH (which includes Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Van Heusen, Izod, Arrow, G. H. Bass, Geoffrey Beene, BCBG Max Azria, Chaps, Sean John, Kenneth Cole New York, Joseph Abboud, and Michael Kors), Benetton, and Abercrombie & Fitch, have signed the legally-binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh that commits them to modest but real and verifiable improvements.  

But not Gap or Walmart. 

If you shop at Gap or Walmart and want to see them spend what amounts to a fraction of 1% of their profits to improve factory safety in Bangladesh, join us outside Baltimore's Gap stores to send them a message as part of a global day of action against these two leading companies who set the pace for the rest of US clothing retailers. 

Here are the details:



When: Saturday, June 29 from 1:00 to 2:00 pm 


Where: At the corner of Pratt and Calvert Streets downtown, outside the main entrance to The Gallery at Harborplace, where Gap and Gap Kids are located. 




RSVP at one or both of these two pages:

 http://corporateactionnetwork.org/events/hold-gap-accountable-at-harborplace-on-june-29th/ 
 https://www.facebook.com/events/471025789652724/ 



Please spread the word -- share this event, invite your friends, bring your kids -- join us on the 29th!


Thanks,
Matthew




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