Tracy Mullin, President & CEO
National Retail Federation
325 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Ms. Mullin:
We write seeking your and the National Retail Federation’s help in addressing a fundamental injustice against human and worker rights. In Bangladesh, more than two million mostly young women garment workers and their families are trapped in abject misery, earning a minimum wage of just 11 ½ cents an hour. No one can possibly survive on such a pitifully low and unjust wage. The Bangladeshi garment workers, routinely toiling 12 hours a day, often seven days a week, are among the hardest working yet poorest women anywhere in the world. While the garment workers in Bangladesh sewed $3.54 billion worth of clothing last year for export to the U.S., their own children went hungry.
The garment workers in Bangladesh are struggling to raise the legal minimum wage in the garment industry to just 35 cents an hour, which would allow their families to climb out of misery and at least into poverty, allowing them to survive with a modicum of dignity.
We believe the workers’ demands are incredibly modest and cannot imagine any apparel company or retailer opposing a 35-cent an hour minimum wage, which would allow the garment workers to feed their children one or two decent meals a day.
We feel very strongly that if the National Retail Federation will publicly support the new 35 cent an hour minimum wage in Bangladesh, the workers will win. While this victory may seem insignificant to us, it is a matter of life and death to the workers and their children. We urge the National Retail Federation to do the right thing and support the workers in their just demand.
Thank you in advance for seriously considering this important issue.
| Number | Date | Name | Organization | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 737 | January 31, 2010 | Durie Kim | MARIANISTS | San Antonio, TX, US | |
| 736 | January 26, 2010 | Daniel Cook | University of Detroit Jesuit | Southfield, MI, US | |
| 735 | January 19, 2010 | Mary Smith | Church Women United | Elmira, NY, US | |
| 734 | January 16, 2010 | álvaro gonzález | el poder del consumidor | méxico, MX | |
| 733 | January 12, 2010 | Emilio Herrera | ONG | Mexico City, , MX | |
| 732 | January 11, 2010 | Janet Juanico | Ninguna | Ciudad de México, , MX | |
| 731 | January 03, 2010 | Camilla Panhard | Personal | Paris, , FR | |
| 730 | January 02, 2010 | Maureen Langston | Personal | Seattle , WA, US | |
| 729 | December 31, 2009 | Baschki Leo | personal | Lansing, NY, US | |
| 728 | December 30, 2009 | Fabián Esparza | Personal | Mexico D F, , MX | |
| 727 | December 30, 2009 | Dora Taylor | individual | Brighton, , GB | |
| 726 | December 28, 2009 | Ulises Fernandez | Fernandez y Asociados, S.C. | Distrito Federal, , MX | |
| 725 | December 22, 2009 | MARIANO FERNANDEZ DE JAUREGUI | CEPSIC AC | mexico, , MX | |
| 724 | December 18, 2009 | Mayra flores | udg | guadalajara, , MX | |
| 723 | December 18, 2009 | Jasmine Lopez | Personal | Mexico, MX | |
| 722 | December 18, 2009 | Luz Alicia Gonzalez | Poder del consumidor | Guadalajara , MX | |
| 721 | December 18, 2009 | Ángel López | Poder del consumidor | Guadalajara, , MX | |
| 720 | December 16, 2009 | Adolfo Garro | Ninguna | Distrito Federal, , MX | |
| 719 | December 15, 2009 | Rosana Perez | Personal | Mexico City, MX | |
| 718 | December 15, 2009 | Rosana Perez | Personal | Mexico City, MX | |
| 717 | December 14, 2009 | kelly Macias | individual | Mexico, PR, | |
| 716 | December 10, 2009 | Erika Athié | none | Mexico City, , MX | |
| 715 | December 09, 2009 | Martha Romo | sos mezquitera la pona | Aguascalientes, , MX | |
| 714 | December 08, 2009 | Judith Marquez | individual | Mexico city, , | |
| 713 | December 06, 2009 | JANET HILL | individual | monroe,MI, MI, |