[Newspoetry] Working women successfully protest Champaign Target

[chyn at onthejob.net]

-- by Peter Miller, Newspoet --

First, go to this location and participate in an electronic protest
telling Target to do the right thing (background info is below):
http://www.summersault.com/~agj/clr/alerts/targetkohlsleafletingsignonletter.html

"Target, Target, Do the right thing!"

About 100 people, the vast majority of whom were women union activists and
leaders attending a summer school at the University of Illinois, chanted,
performed, and marched at the Target store in Champaign, Illinois this
afternoon.  Their demand:  that Target use its purchasing power to uphold
the rights of workers who manufacture clothes sold in their stores. (see
background info, below.)

Well after most people had begun the hard work of protesting in the summer
heat, I, Danielle Chynoweth, and Mike Lehman arrived with a giant
capitalist-on-a-trailer bearing a Target logo.  A group of about 50
paraded behind the trailer to the front of the store.  When we arrived,
the manager and a big dude greeted us and told us to leave their expanse
of asphalt.  Two activists presented the manager and her henchguy with
flyers explaining the action, and they returned the favor by giving us the
phone number for their corporate public relations office.  (The manager
was holding an instruction fax telling her how to deal with the protest.)

While we were at the front of the store, I'm told that an elderly couple,
already unhappy with Target for selling them spoiled food, asked if our
demonstration was a picket line, "because we don't cross picket lines!"  
The activist on hand told them that it was just a rally, and that they
should go in and tell the managers that Target should clean up its act.

After making our presence heard and felt, we claimed victory and marched,
chanting, off the parking lot.  Without a doubt, the women at the summer
school, the activists from the U of I Graduate Employees Organization, and
others from the community got the attention of Target and
Champaign-Urbana.

Actions in the US and Nicaragua have led to the release of all but 5 of 68
arrested union activists.  Nobody should be arrested for trying to
organize a union!  If there were justice, Target and others would be fined
and sanctioned for denying workers their human rights.

We need to keep up the pressure and make sure Target does do the right
thing.

Many thanks to Michelle Kaminski and Rae Ferguson for doing the legwork
for the rally; and thanks to Danielle Chyonweth, Tim Gibbs, and Mike
Lehman for the capitalist-on-a-trailer.

-Peter Miller



from www.summersault.com/~agj/clr/
BACKGROUND ON TARGET AND KOHL'S LEAFLETING

   The coalition coordinating U.S. solidarity with sweatshop union
   struggles in Nicaragua's free trade zone called for 30 Days of
   Leafleting at Target and Kohl's, to begin on June 17 and to end on
   July 16. The kick-off coincided with the beginning of a U.S. speaking
   tour by Pedro Ortega, head of the Federation of Textile, Garment,
   Leather and Shoe Workers which represents these workers.

   The leafleting is in response to union busting at the Mil Colores and
   Chentex factories. Both factories produce clothing for both Target and
   Kohl's. At Mil Colores, 208 union members have been fired and some
   still face trumped-up criminal charges. At Chentex, 17 workers, 9 of
   whom are union leaders, have been fired. Both Target and Kohl's deny
   that labor rights violations are occurring at the factories and
   neither company has been willing to use its influence to win justice
   for the workers. Neither company agreed to meet with Pedro Ortega when
   he came to Minneapolis (Target headquarters) and Milwaukee (Kohl's
   headquarters).