FREE ESSAY ON SWEATSHOPS AND DISNEY

SWEATSHOPS AND DISNEY

Consumers can play an important role in closing sweatshops, and they have a right to know
what
companies are using sweatshops to produce their product there are simple steps consumers
can
take to help fight against the use of sweatshops. Right now many famous companies are
using
sweatshops readily to save money. However, ironically, the companies that use them are
the
companies that can afford to spend the extra money for regular labor. Some of these name
brand
companies include; Nike, Disney, Kathie- Lee Gifford, Gap, Liz Claiborne, Ralph Lauren,
and
Wal-Mart. Many people have no idea that these companies are using sweatshops. Disney for
example is a very well known company. No one would ever expect that their favorite
childhood
Disney memory could have been created through sweatshops and child labor. Disney is just
one
of the many well respected, loved companies with dark secrets. It is hard to believe as
a
consumer that a company that consumers have grown to trust and love uses such forced
labor,
with underaged sweatshop employees making consumers favorite characters come to life.
Well,
Peter and Rochelle Schweizer makes it clear that it could be a possibility: " The face of
Disney the
manufacturer is not a pretty one. All too often Disney clothes, toys, and trinkets are
made by
child laborers. Disney licensees have been caught using child labor on three continents"
(245). 
Many other companies are practicing the same type of labor policies without consumers's
knowledge. If companies feel that sweatshops are a decent and fair way of doing business
and
have no problems with continuing to use them, they should at least make these reasons
public and
confront their consumers's concerns. They should let their consumers know why they choose
to
conduct their business in this manner. Consumers would then have the real information on
the
product that they choose, and not only what the company wants them to 
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know. Consumers would then be able to base their product choice on work place conditions
as
well as the over all product information. 
Some companies's use of sweatshops have been made public. Kathie-Lee Gifford's
designer clothes company for example was widely evident in the news in 1996. Gifford was
shocked when she heard of the sweatshop conditions her company was using. Since this
Gifford
has been involved in organizing the Apparel Industry Partnership with the U.S. Department
of
Labor. This organization tries to crack down on the use of child labor. This is one
example of
where the public influenced a company to change its policies. This gives hope that with
consumer
support other companies can be influenced in similar ways.
Disney, however, has not been so noteworthy in their efforts. Disney licensees go out of
their way to bring their company to countries such as Burma, where the practice of child
labor is a
normal everyday event, and they exploit this to create their product as cheaply as
possible. 
Schweizer explains how remote the locations that Disney licensees use, " For years
Disney
licensees were manufacturing in a country few Americans could locate on a map. Burma-
also
known as Myanmar, the name given it by the ruling military junta- is a poverty - stricken
nation
wedged between India, China, and the lush mountains of Thailand." (251). This is an
ideal
location because so few people are aware of it. This makes it easy for the Disney
licensees to
continue their business without being detected. Another insight to Burma is that drug
lords hold
great power and are protected by the government. Disney licensees had to get the
permission to
have sweatshops in Burma from these drug lords. This shows how the drug lords are the
ones
with the power in Burma. First companies must win the respect of these drug lords before
they
are able to work there. " Burma's attraction as a manufacturing site is obvious:
ultracheap labor."
(252).
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When consumers and human rights groups along with labor organizations took action in
1996, they did get a response from Disney. The National Labor Committee and other
organizations together made Disney's involvement in Burma public with the Free Burma 
Campaign. Disney denied these claims. They pretended they had no involvement in Burma. 
They knew how the negative public announcement would hurt the company, which is the
major
reason why companies hide the facts from the consumers. Schweizer explains that many
other
respectable companies have volunteered to monitor their working conditions, however,
Disney is
not one of them. This shows that Disney is aware that the problem of sweatshop exists in
their
licensees operation. 
Disney may have changed its ways concerning Burma after public protests, but it
seems less than interested in tackling the child labor problem. Retailers and
manufacturers have been asked by the U.S. Department of Labor to voluntarily
pledge to monitor their contractors to make sure no child labor is being used. 
Dozens of well- known companies have joined, including Abercrombie and Fitch,
Guess, Lands' End, Lerner New York, Levi Strauss, the Limited, and others. 
Disney has not (254). 
However, Disney continues to be a very hypocritical company by continuing to stay active
in
UNICEF activities. Yet, Disney can continue to entertain millions of children everyday.
It is a
shame that the children that are working for them do not receive the same benefits. It is
quite
possible that they would love to have a short break to enjoy a cute Disney movie.
This shows how companies try to rationalize what they know is wrong. Consumers must
know that they are being deceived by the image they have of the company. The company
CEO's
can no longer ignore the situation. Consumers have to let the companies know that they
are
aware of this situation. They need to let the companies know that they can not continue
to hide
the problem. Something needs to be done. Consumers must stop supporting these companies.
If
the consumers keep on ignoring this, then the companies win. Consumers have to start
fighting 
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for those children's rights because no one else will until someone starts. The children
are trapped
in a society that encourages this horrible situation. After the consumers get involved,
then the
companies can not ignore their public. They will have to look for another source of
economic 
growth. Without the companies there wanting the children to work, they will be set free
from
these conditions. But we do then face the problem of what the children would do for
income. It is
horrible to think that the children have to depend on these jobs to live. Although that
is the ugly
truth, there has to be a way that these children can get into school where they belong.
An even
better situation outcome would be that the children could get better wages and working
conditions. That would be the ideal situation. 
The reasons the companies have for using sweatshops must be considered as well. We
know that they are feeling pressure to find cheap labor in order to drive up profits. But
if the
earnings of Michael Eisner are compared to a Haitian worker, as the National Labor
Committee
states, " It would take a Haitian worker sewing Disney garments 156 years to earn what
Michael
Eisner earned in one hour!" (sec.2) Something needs to be done so that the difference
between
these wages are not so great. The National Labor Committee provides more horrifying
statistics
to think about; " Disney reported a record 63% increase on its first quarter profits,
Disney TV
stations reach one out of every four households in the U.S., one out of every four movie
tickets
sold in the U.S. is for a Disney film or for a film distributed by Disney, Disney radio
stations reach
123 million people a week" (sec.3). This shows just a part of the influence the Disney
company
holds on the U.S. public. It also illustrates the fact that Disney can definitely afford
to stay away
from child labor and the use of sweatshops to create its products. Many companies are
just like
Disney this is just one of the many examples. 
It is important for consumers to know and understand these facts. Consumers are then
faced with a decision: to get involved, or to go on ignoring the problem because they
feel there is
nothing they can do. But without the aid of these consumers, organizations' attempts at
stopping
these companies fail. The organizations rely on consumer support for their movements. It
is also 
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important for these organizations to show the consumers how easy it is to get involved
and have
their opinions and voices heard. All consumers's ideas are important.
There are many small steps that the consumers can take to make a difference in the use
of
sweatshops. The best way would be to get everyone to take just one step. If just a few
people
took a step a day there would be a tremendous difference. But if just a one person took a
step a
day, the effect would not be as great. It is important for the consumers to take the
first step in
showing their concern. If consumers never voice this concern to the companies, they (the
companies) continue to think that they are getting away with using this cheap labor. Here
are
some ideas on how consumers can easily get involved on a daily basis to ensure they are
showing
support. Holstein makes consumers aware that the process of getting involved can be a
simple
one, " There is no way to pick up a product and instantly know how it was made. But there
are
very practical things you can do over a period of time to give yourself greater
confidence about
what you buy." ( par. 1)
One of the simplest things consumers can do is to check where the articles are made. 
Consumers can do this by looking at the label on the merchandise. If they see that it was
made in
a third world country that regularly uses sweatshops such as: China, Burma, Haiti etc..,
the
possibility is greater that the merchandise was made in a sweatshop. If the consumer does
not feel
comfortable going by the label alone, they can ask a store manager. Store managers are
usually
friendly and willing to share any information that they know about their products with
the
consumer. However, this could both be an advantage or a disadvantage. The store manager
may
know less than you do about the situation or could have even been instructed not to talk
about
such an issue with customers. The opposite could be true as well. The store manager could
have
been trained with the knowledge of all the company's labor laws and issues and would be
eager to
share this learned knowledge. It is worth the chance to try either way. 
Once a consumer has found where the product was made, they should be cautious of
certain countries. Some of the tactics taken are consumer boycotts. This is the tactic
that the 
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opponents of the regime in Burma employed. Boycotting is not always the best action to
take, as
explained by a Reebok executive: " If Americans decided that they weren't going to buy
soccer
balls made in Pakistan, a million people would be out of jobs tomorrow" (par. 3). Simply,

boycotting is not helpful, all this does is make more people lose their job. This is not
a permanent
solution. A more effective way to show concern is to ask questions about the countries of
origin. 
Learn more about the products that consumers buy. 
If the consumer sees a made in the U.S.A label, they should not assume it is safe. Many
products made in the United States are also made under less then ideal situations.
Consulting a
monthly State Labor Review shows that the United States is still trying to work against
this. 
"Child labor continues to be an issue of great interest at both the Federal and State
level. A mix 
of legislation was enacted this year, with laws passed both to strengthen and to relax
child labor
regulation.[ in the U.S.]" ( Nelson, par. 7). The United States itself is still having
problems
weeding out these companies who are producing merchandise in such conditions. The problem
of
sweatshops is also evident in the U.S.. 
Consumers should use the resources given to them. One extremely useful resource is the
U.S. Department of Labor's website
[http://www.dol.gov/dol/esa/public/nosweat/trands.htm]. 
Here they can find a list of retailers that are using enlightened sourcing practices.
They can also
contact the consumer group that they use most regularly and persuade them to include
workplace
conditions in their report. By doing this the U.S. Department of Labor is making a lot
of
consumers more aware of a situation of sweatshops, most of these consumers they reach
are
completely ignorant of the situation. This could greatly influence the way people shop.
After consumers take these steps, the companies will see the effect. Hopefully the
effect
will be great enough that the company will change their labor practices. By making the
companies change their labor practices, the consumer has made a difference. Without the
consumer and the aid of different National Labor Committees, the companies could not be
persuaded to change their ways. 
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Consumer's children can also get involved. Children have a voice and when they are
informed of such activities as child labor and sweatshops they can be useful tools. Maria
Sweeney
saw this potential in her fourth grade class. Every year she has her students choose a
topic of 
social significance for an end of the year play. One year her students chose global
sweatshops and
chose the Nike and Disney companies to be their focus (par. 2). The children were
cautious with
choosing these companies.
Nike was at the top of the list, "Most kids think they can't live without Nike," one
student observed. The others agreed that the company holds great sway over
young people. Several wondered if we could even compete with its power: " The
whole point of the play would be to get them to join the boycott," one student
cautioned," but most kids would never stop wearing Nike stuff. It wouldn't be
cool at all to be against Nike" ( par. 3).
The students agreed that kids have the right to know of the awful conditions. These
children
knew that they could make a difference if they informed their peers of the situations
that they have
become aware of. 
The students wanted to be able to reach all of their intended audience. This is why they
choose Disney as the second company, hoping to reach the younger audience. The students
knew
this was important news to get out. Parents of these children showed some concern in
their
children not hearing both sides of this issue, so their teacher made the effort to stress
the
difference between the goals behind the companies' public relations department versus the
human
rights groups. The public relations department's goal being to promote a positive public
image
and thereby enhance earnings, their motive here being profit. This would somehow explain
to the
students why the public relations departments would publicly deny any involvement with
child
labor or sweatshops. The human rights groups however are motivated by morality and
justice. 
This way the children knew the differences between both sides and could make their own
opinions. (par. 15)
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Once the children's play was put together, the school refused to let them perform it in
front of the rest of the school as originally planned. The children recognized this as
censorship.
They were being forced to only perform it in front of an audience consisting of their
parents. 
However, a reporter heard of the children's misfortune and got response from the
community. By
extreme luck the students were asked to perform their play on Broadway (par. 19-20).
Consumers of all ages can make a difference if they are given the chance. Everyone can
bring their own personal experiences and opinions to get involved. This shows how anyone
can
make a difference. The children's ideas would now be heard by a larger audience then
ever
expected. Their feelings are being heard by a more diverse group of people. This means
that they 
may help even more people realize the truth to this awful situation in these poor third
world
countries, who rely on U.S. companies to set up sweatshops so they can earn a meager
living.
In conclusion, Moberg shows us that consumers can make a difference in the fight against
sweatshops, " Consumer power propels the drive against sweatshops today, but most
organizers
think that this alone will produce only limited advances." (par. 8) Consumers must aid
organizations in their fight against International sweatshops by getting involved, being
aware, and
being not ignorant. Without the consumers the organizations fight is pointless. They are
fighting
for what most consumers are ignorant about. It is important to get the information out
to
everyone about the poor conditions, our everyday products are being created in. Everyday
more
and more consumers are being made aware, although they do not know how to help. That is
where the organizations get involved. They provide the information on how individual
consumers
can make a difference. Everyone is important in this cause. The information is out there,
it just
needs to be accessed. 
Bibliography
Works Cited
Moberg, David. Bringing Down Niketown. The Nation. v268 no21 p15-16. 7 June 1999.
National Labor Committee.Campaign For Labor Rights. Disney Alert #2. 11 June, 1997.
22 March 2000. 
National Labor Committee. Are Human Rights Compaigns Necessary? 28 July, 1997. 22
March 2000 
Nelson, Richard R. State labor legistration enacted in 1998. Monthly Labor Review. v122
no1 p3-15 January 1999. 
Schweizer, Peter and Rochelle. Disney the Mouse Betrayed. Washington DC: Regnery
Publishing: 1998. 
Sweeney, Maria. Sweating the Small Stuff: Mickey, Michael, and Global Sweatshop.
Radical Teacher. no 55 p11-14 1999