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Conrad Lawrence's Writing Samples
773-865-5524 or Conrad_Lawrence@yahoo.comWriting Samples:
"Build it AndWill
They Come?"
N'Digo Magapaper
July 2005
The Future is In Your Face
Book
"Sweatshops or No Sweat"
N'Digo Magapaper
October 2004
"Expressive arts therapies: Where the West meets the East"
An academic paper
June 2009
Global Warming Population Bomb
"Crossing The Digital Divide"
N'Digo Magapaper
November, 2004
Shirley, This'll Piss
Someone off
(Blog Commentary)
Conrad Lawrence
(CV/Work Resume)
Creative Narrative
Resume
N'Digo Magapaper
July 2005
The Future is In Your Face
Book
"Sweatshops or No Sweat"
N'Digo Magapaper
October 2004
"Expressive arts therapies: Where the West meets the East"
An academic paper
June 2009
Global Warming Population Bomb
"Crossing The Digital Divide"
N'Digo Magapaper
November, 2004
Shirley, This'll Piss
Someone off
(Blog Commentary)
Conrad Lawrence
(CV/Work Resume)
Creative Narrative
Resume
UNION VS CORPORATION: THE HUMAN CURRENCY
Text and Photos by Conrad Lawrence
Earlier this year, UNITE sent out a press release saying, "Uniform Giant Outsourcing Work to Sweatshops in Haiti, Mexico and Chicago."
According to claims by, the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, the sweatshops in Chicago are being run by CINTAS, the nation's largest uniform manufacturer.
The union charges that Hispanic and Polish immigrant workers at F&F Cutting & Sewing, Gil Sewing and Sewing Systems, companies that contract to CINTAS to supply uniforms "...receive illegally low wages of as little as $3 per hour, report being illegally fined, and say they are required to work off the clock."
Wade Gates, spokesman for CINTAS, claims that UNITES' press release is part of a "campaign" launched by UNITE against CINTAS starting in January of 2003. "UNITE is waging an unmitigated attack against [CINTAS]. This is a smear campaign.'
Gates asserts that UNITE'S real agenda has to do with taking away the individual rights of workers. He charges that workers will lose the individual right to vote for, or against, a union by signing cards being foisted on them by UNITE, giving their vote to a few delegates who will vote at the whim of the union. Gates argues that CINTAS protects the very people that UNITE claims that the manufacturer is harming.
When asked to respond to Gates' allegation that UNITE is running a smear campaign against CINTAS, Julie Hodek of UNITE produced a Washington Post article about CINTAS' campaign funds to curry favor with the administration in order to defer regulations on CINTAS towel cleaning operations. Towel cleaning has nothing to do with uniform fabrication sweatshops in Chicago, though Hodek felt it was a damning demonstration of CINTAS' potential for running sweatshops.
UNITE then produced several U.S. Department of Labor citations and penalties against CINTAS sites in the Chicago area for Occupational Safety and Health Act violations. The citations mostly dealt with improper safety procedures in handling hazardous material in CINTAS-owned facilities in Bedfor Park and Schaumburg. None of the citations were against any of the three facilities UNITE claimed to be "sweatshops." All of the citations were nearly a year old.
Sweatshop Conditions? For Real?
"My impression is that the working conditions may not be up to par, but may not reach the definition of a "sweatshop," said Dr. Reverend Michael Chapman of St. Michael's Church on 48th Street.Dr. Chapman was part of a delegation that made surprise visits to F&F Sewing & Cutting, Gil Sewing d Sewing Systems, contractors accused of operating sweatshops by UNITE. The delegation was comprised mostly of clergy. Dr. Chapman has a Ph.D in School Administration.
Interpretations of what the delegation witnessed varies between members of the delegation. Jennifer Barger, Organizer for the Chicago Interfaith committee on Worker Issues, assembled the delegation. She said, "It really appeared [that] workers were almost scared of getting up [from] their stations. No one was getting up from their seats."
When asked for specifics of the workers' fears and how those fears were measured, Barger answered, "You can kind of tell when people are on edge." She attributed this to fear of retribution, should workers break from being productive. Dr. Chapman noticed that the workers seemed frightened, but his interpretation was that the workers were afraid because they thought the delegation might have come from Immigration Services. Theresa Williams, a woman who worked at F&F Sewing & Cutting for a week, estimated that 90 to 95 percent of the employees were "illegals."
"It was difficult to breath," says Barger. "There was a lot of clothing dust in the air. To us, it didn't seem as if there was a lot of ventilation. Of course we weren't inspecting according to any specific standards."
Dr. Chapman said he didn't notice these problems and a visit to F&F Sewing and Cutting, found large ventilating and air handling equipment suspended from the ceiling.
In a white paper, UNITE claimed, "Nearly 40 women workers are forced to share a single bathroom with one toilet at the Chicago facility. F&F refuses to furnish soap, towels, or toilet paper."
These claims came from Teresa Williams, the woman who spent a week working at F&F and left admitting she was upset with the owner. William's claims were also noted by Sister Teri Hadro, one of the delegates for the Chicago Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues.
"One of the most distressing things I saw was the toilets. There was no toilet paper, no towels, and no soap," said Hadro. She claims they confronted F&F owner, Lidia Borojan, who told her, "The workers preferred to bring their own toilet materials." Hadro was skeptical of Borojan's answer.
Toilet paper aside, Hadro said, "There was nothing incendiary in what we saw." However, she was quick to point out, "It's clear that someone is making money off the backs of these [workers]. [Our society] looks at these immigrant, illegal workers as cogs, not people."