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No Longer Our Sweat, Blood, and Tears—The Destruction of Sweatshops

Kristen Arroyo

Hartrich

Ethics A Period

1 May 2017

Word Count: 1,755

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There are things in this world that sprout from unexplainable evil. Slavery has

been around since the beginning of humanity, and even in our civilized times, it is still

swinging full force. Not everyone is able to see this modern day slavery, though, as it is

hidden under the idea of sweatshop labor. People in third world countries such as

Mexico, China, and Nicaragua are forced to work in horrifying and unthinkable

conditions for wages that barely support a livelihood. However, there is hope. Fair Trade

is a program in which fair prices are put on products that are produced in developing

countries. Fair Trade must be an enforced system in America and around the globe

because the conditions that give a factory the label of “sweatshop” violate human

rights, and because they are destroying the American economy.

Today, there are tens of thousands of victims forced into labor within the borders

the United States alone. These workers are usually put through terrible treatment. Maritza

Vargas, a former BJ&B worker, has faced these horrors firsthand. “When the factory

would receive higher orders, the managers would lock the doors to the factory and not let

anyone leave. In fact, one of my coworkers had to crawl over a fence to escape from the

factory, because her children were so young and were left at home alone without anyone

to care for them. Factory supervisors would regularly walk around and swear at us… We

were also subject to physical abuse, and in one case, the factory manager kicked a

pregnant worker off her chair, and she lost her baby (Vargas).” Treatment like Maritza

Vargas’s and worse have been the daily routine for millions of people. Men, women, and

children work long hours, sometimes 10 hours a day or over 60 hours a week, for lower

than the minimum wage. Women make up more than 80% of the work force, and people

forced into work come from everywhere, all from different ethnic and racial groups. In
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the United States, most victims are brought in from other countries then put to work, but

some are born and raised into forced work. Around the globe, sweatshops are still an

issue. The United States use maquiladoras, sweatshops run by a foreign company that

export its products to the country of that company, in Central America. This industry has

become very widespread in the past couple of decades. As stated by Gary MacEoin in

Human Rights, El Salvador has 240 maquiladoras, Honduras has 156, Guatemala has

134, and Nicaragua has 19. These four countries together make an average of about $89 a

month. While some places have better wages than others, the conditions of each are still

terrible, ranging from bad to inhumane. In the countries previously listed, the minimum

wage amounts to less than half of the basic income needed to feed a family of four, and

this does not even include rent, utilities, clothing, or healthcare. Although the need for

low paying jobs keeps rising, very few survive more than 6 or 7 years in one shop. Most

shops are able to and frequently do fire pregnant women or anyone that qualifies for

vacation time because there is no written contract for the work. Between this, the

unhealthy working conditions, poor ventilation, lint-heavy air, and the harassment, verbal

abuse, strip searches and sexual harassment, workers are unable to have a steady job

(MacEoin 78). Sweatshop conditions are unfit for any human being created in the image

and likeness of God.

The conditions of sweatshops violate human rights, both earthly and spiritually.

As stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The development of economic

activity and growth in production are meant to provide for the needs of human beings.

Economic life is not meant solely to multiply goods produced and increase profit or

power; it is ordered first of all to the service of persons, of the whole man, and of the
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entire human community. Economic activity, conducted according to its own proper

methods, is to be exercised within the limits of the moral order, in keeping with social

justice so as to correspond to God's plan for man (“Economic Activity and Social Justice

583).” This means that human begins should never be exploited for the sake of progress.

In November of 1986, the Catholic bishops of the United Stated promulgated a pastoral

letter on Catholic social teaching called Economic Justice for All. The letter challenges

differing views of the US economy and justice. They argue that, “…although industrial

expansion and technological progress are laudable, they must not be achieved at the

expense of either the dignity of the laborer or the integrity of the environment

("Economic Justice for All: Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S.

Economy”).” The bishops included a detailed framework for what the Church believed

about social justice concerning sweatshops, and the letter became a foundation for

American Catholic economic and social justice beliefs, which oppose the use of

sweatshops.

Many people agree with the Catholic Church that the conditions that make a

factory a sweatshop are inhumane and must be stopped. The horror stories of unfair

treatment and low wages hurt the sympathetic heart that hears about workers in third

world countries. However, there is another side to this issue. There are people in this

world, such as Scott Rubush, who believe sweatshops are not as bad as some left-leaning

activities claim. He says that factories under the label of “sweatshops” are not as bad as

people think and actually benefit many people, including the workers. Big corporations

obviously save a lot of money by giving lower wages to foreign people. American

consumers benefit by not having to pay as much for products. Universities are able to
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allow big apparel companies such as Nike and Adidas to financially support their athletic

program and in turn, students benefit from their university having more money. The most

surprising claim is that the sweatshop workers also benefit. Rubush’s reasoning is the fact

that a “typical worker in a Nike factory on Vietnam makes more than twice the country’s

average annual income (Rubush 84.)” As said before, most sweatshop workers do not

make enough money to support themselves or their families. Although the sweatshop

workers in Vietnam make more than the average income, they are still living in what

American consider to be poverty. He also says that Nike claimed to have increased wages

by 70%, Adidas disavows the use of child labor, and so on. However, just because a

company claims to have improved working conditions for their workers does not mean

that it is true. There is no evidence that conditions have improved since regular factory

inspections are not required, and the truth is that companies will do anything to save

money.

Despite the issue of forced labor in sweatshops, there is a solution. Fair Trade is a

system that guarantees a minimum, above-market price to farmers and producers of

goods. The purpose of this system is to demolish poverty in third world countries by

allowing people to work for the wages they deserve. Fair trade also aims to encourage

social and environmental sustainability and security (Miller 16). The concept of fair trade

is opposed by the mainstream trading system known as “free trade.” Free trade is based

off the idea of competing for lower and lower prices to attract consumers. This is the

usual means of trading today, meaning that companies will sell their products for as little

money as possible, but that means that they must produce their goods for as little as

possible. This only helps feed into the poverty of third world countries because these
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poor people are willing to work for close to nothing, which is what the companies are

paying. But, according to the book Free Trade, the free trade theory says that nations

benefit from producing goods for which they have the lowest opportunity costs. It says

that as more factories are opened in third world countries, more jobs open up for people

living in poverty (Young 66). While this may be true, the fact is still that the conditions

of these factories are usually considered a violation of human rights.

In addition to being harmful to third world countries, the sweatshop labor is

actually hurting the American economy. Today, there are tens of thousands of sweatshop

workers within the United States. According to Ann Manheimer, editor of the book Child

Labor and Sweatshops, 46% of United Stated forced labor revolves around prostitution

and sex services, 27% is domestic work, 10% is agriculture labor, 5% is factory work,

and 4% is hotel or restaurant services (Manheimer 10). In addition to this, American

based companies such as Nike, H&M, and Adidas frequently use forced labor to get their

products at the lowest price. They do this so that their products will sell the most, but it is

knowingly at the expense of the livelihood of people. While participation in free trade

might help lower the prices of American products, it is actually hurting our economy

more than we know. Jobs that could be given to people in poverty in America are instead

being given to people who are willing to put themselves through torture. Free trade also

prevents money from circulating within our own economy because it is constantly being

sent to other countries. Free trade hopes to end this ruthless cycle, even if it does mean

that American products will cost a little more. According to the Catholic Relief Services,

“Fair Trade creates opportunities for us to respond to this call in a small but significant

way every day through the choices we make as consumers. When we make the conscious
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choice to purchase Fair Trade items, we are putting the values of Catholic social teaching

into action, and working to realize our vision of economic justice (“Fair trade and

Catholic Social Teaching”) .” We as American consumers need to realize that a few extra

dollars for our clothes and food will help both people in our own country and people in

other countries.

Fair trade is a good system that must be enforced because it offers the truly fair

wage to the people who produce our goods. Sweatshops violate human rights and this

must be stopped. To help the people in poverty in developing countries, in addition to the

forced laborers in the United States, we have to spend just a little extra on our groceries

to ensure that people can have the bare minimum in life.

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Works Cited

"Economic Activity and Social Justice." Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed.

Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994. 583. Print.

"Economic Justice for All: Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S.

Economy." Berkley Center. Georgetown University, 1 Nov. 1986. Web. 21 Apr.

2017. <https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/publications/economic-justice-for-

all-pastoral-letter-on-catholic-social-teaching-and-the-u-s-economy>.

“Fair Trade and Catholic Social Teaching." Fair Trade. Catholic Relief Services, n.d.

Web. 1 May 2017. <http://fairtradecampaigns.org/wp-

content/uploads/2014/11/fair-trade-and-catholic-social-teaching-june-2010.pdf>.

MacEoin, Gary, and Scott Rubush. "Sweatshops Do/ Do Not Violate Human

Rights." Human Rights. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven, 2003. 76-87. Print.

Opposing Viewpoints.

Manheimer, Ann, ed. Child Labor and Sweatshops. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven,

2006. Print. At Issue.

Miller, Debra A., ed. Fair Trade. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven, 2010. Print. Current

Controversies.

Vargas, Maritza. "Maritza's Story." USAS. United States Against Sweatshops, n.d. Web.

21 Apr. 2017. <http://usas.org/maritzas-story/>.

Young, Mitchell, ed. Free Trade. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2009. Print. Opposing

Viewpoints. 30 Apr. 2017.

Works Consulted

Valiente-Riedl, Elisabeth. "TO BE FREE AND FAIR?” Journal Of Australian Poliitcal

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Economy (2016): 159. EBSCO. Web. 2 Apr. 2017.

<http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=210a5f6e-ac32-

4385-9bab-ffebe4528881%40sessionmgr4006&vid=12&hid=4207>.
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Research Paper Outline- No Longer Our Sweat, Blood, and Tears.

I. Intro

a. Maritza’s Story

b. Thesis: Fair Trade must be an enforced system in America and

around the globe because sweatshops are destroying the American

economy, and the conditions that give a factory the label of

“sweatshop” violate human rights.

II. Body 1: Human Rights

a. The working conditions, low wages, abuse, and child labor around the

world is a serious problem.

III. Body 2: The Church and Sweatshops

a. 2 teachings on this (on other sheet).

IV. Body 3: America’s Economy and Sweatshops

a. Jobs are being taken away from Americans are given to those who will

work for less.

V. Conclusion

a. Fair Trade must be an enforced system in America and around the globe

because sweatshops are destroying the American economy, and the

conditions that give a factory the label of “sweatshop” violate human

rights.