Photo: (L to R) Ronnie Watson, District 8 Rapid Response Coordinator; Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD); Thomas "TJ" Johnson, MD Rapid Response Coordinator; Kathy Garrison, MD Director for Women of Steel; Thomas Blackburn, Education Coordinator for Local 9477

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“The message was well-received,” reported Johnson. “We need to level the playing field. We need to make goods, sell goods and buy goods that are produced in a way that recognizes human rights. That’s the bottom line.”

 The Anti-Sweatshop bill targets companies that choose to exploit in order to fatten bottom lines.  Globally, it is all too common for women and children especially to be on the

losing end of our trade agreements. Unsanitary conditions, 18-hour days, no school for children, inhumane wages, and sexual abuse on the job happen regularly throughout the shadowy corners of the world. This legislation aims to shine a spotlight on these conditions by banning sweatshop-produced goods from entering our markets. 

“Eighty percent of the people affected by sweatshops are women and children,” stated Garrison. “A lot of people would think twice if they knew the abuse and indignities that exist to make a product a few cents cheaper. America’s trade policy should reflect the values of the American people.”

As Congress left for recess, the bill had garnered nearly 80 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and over a dozen in the Senate, with some of the cosponsors signing on as a direct result of the visits by the Maryland activists. While there is still much work to be done educating Members of Congress on the dark side of the global economy, activities like these are helping further the cause.