Meredith Cunningham is the production/online editor for Retail Online Integration, its e-newsletter, The ROI Report, and website, RetailOnlineIntegration.com. Meredith is also the production/online editor for the Target Marketing Group's web-only brand, eM+C.
Before coming to North American Publishing Company, Meredith served as sports editor for The Evening Bulletin in Philadelphia, and was a designer for the Bucks County Courier-Times. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Utica College of Syracuse University in 2007.
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Does anyone know what in the world was going on with retailers’ factories in August? Was it the heat or something? News of retailers and their predominantly overseas factories facing serious charges and accusations, including rape and child labor, were commonplace last month.
It reminds me of the M. Night Shyamalan movie "The Happening" with Mark Wahlberg, where everyone gets a whiff of some crazy toxin in the air released by trees and subsequently commits suicide. Here's a timeline of the recent outbreaks of factory mismanagement that leaves me scratching my head:
Aug. 1: A Disgruntled Whole Foods’ Employee’s Epic Resignation
Frustrated about the working conditions at his store in Canada, a Whole Foods’ employee sent a ranting, no-holds-barred resignation letter to the entire company. The letter exposed Whole Foods’ unseemly practices and the contradictions in its "earth and body friendly" policies, as well as poor working conditions. After the letter went viral, Whole Foods’ employees from across North America chimed in with their own horror stories about the grocer.
Aug. 5: Change.org Urges Target, Macy's to Stop Profiting From the Rape of Factory Workers in Jordan
Online activism platform for social change Change.org filed an online petition on behalf of women working at Classic factory in Jordan, which manufactures clothes for Target, Hanes and Macy's. Change.org alleges that female workers at the factory have been raped for years by three different managers, all of whom have yet to be fired.
Aug. 17: Zara Accused of Child Labor
International cross-channel retailer Zara is being accused of slave and child labor at one of its factories in Brazil. Fifty-two people, including many children, were found working at the factory under unsanitary conditions and slave-like labor practices consisting of 16-hour shifts making pants for the brand at a wage well below minimum.
Aug. 22: Starbucks Fires Dwarf Barista
Starbucks will pay $75,000 to settle a lawsuit stemming from the firing of an employee with dwarfism who asked for a stool. The store manager decided the employee's dwarfism posed a danger to customers and employees. In the aftermath of this case, Starbucks announced it will implement training for supervisors and managers on disability issues.
This incident reminds me of Abercrombie's recent controversies, in which it fired two Muslim women in separate cases for wearing traditional hijabs. The retailer said the women weren't conforming to the brands' signature look.
Aug. 23: American Apparel Worker Dies in Knitting Machine
A 49-year-old American Apparel factory worker in California was killed by a knitting machine. The investigation into this incident is ongoing, but an initial report says that the worker was attempting to remove a stuck piece of fabric from the machine when he became stuck. He was taken to the hospital, where he died moments later.
Aug. 26: Hershey Park Foreign-Exchange Students Claim Poor Working Conditions
Foreign-exchange students employed at Hershey's warehouse in central Pennsylvania claim the company is doing them wrong in providing below minimum wage compensation and minimum vacation time. The students claim they've not yet learned fully about American culture (which is why they participated in the program in the first place) and are being taken advantage of. To fix this problem, Hershey says it will no longer recruit or employ foreign workers in its factories. Instead, it will only hire locally to protect American jobs.
Aug. 29: Disney Deals With Factory Suicides in China
Disney has launched its own investigation into claims of suicides due to poor working conditions at one of its factories in China. It's alleged that "Cars" toys are being made by children, who work more than three times the amount of overtime allowed by law, along with of-age workers. The conditions are so bad that one 45-year-old worker reportedly killed herself by jumping off a ledge after being yelled at by management. Other charges include worries over poisonous chemicals and inadequate ventilation at the facility.
Aug. 30: Change.org Urges Sears to Stop Rape and Tourture of Women
Change.org isn't done yet. Sears was added to the list of retailers that should cut ties with the Classic factory in Jordan. Change.org is demanding the resignation of alleged serial rapist and factory manager Anil Santha, who has recieved over 300 complaints of rape filed against him.
Standard shifts in this factory are 13-hours a day, six days a week, with a take-home pay of 61 cents an hour. A report from AsiaNews.it claims that “women who refuse the sexual advances of Classic's managers are beaten and deported." What's more, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Labor was aware of the sexual abuse as early as 2007, but did nothing about it, the report claims.
Aug. 30: H&M Launches an Investigation Into the Fainting of Factory Workers
H&M halted production last week at one of its factories in Cambodia as nearly 200 employees were hospitalized after a becoming sick and fainting. A foul smell was detected in the T-shirts the employees were manufacturing.
The factory manager is claiming a "psychological" reason for the faintings, but also under investigation are claims that workers weren't allowed a meal break during work hours and that they were being forced to work more overtime than the law allows.
Can anyone explain to me why this is happening all over the world? Please tell me there's an M. Night Shyamalan twist at the end of this movie that's still to come. Haven't we advanced enough as a human race to stop this mistreatment? Let me know what you think can be done, or why this is happening, in the comments section below.
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