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Life in a Wal-Mart/Hanes Sweatshop

In yet another case of egregious worker rights violations in Wal-Mart's sprawling global supply chain, serious abuses have been exposed at a major textile plant in the Dominican Republic. The factory, TOS Dominicana, is owned by Hanesbrands and makes clothes for the label which is a key Wal-Mart supplier.

This video, and the accompanying worker profiles, provide a portrait in workers' own words of life in a garment industry sweatshop. Wal-Mart and Hanes both claim that their factories around the world respect the rights of workers. The experience of the men and women employed at TOS Dominicana demonstrate just how far from reality these pronouncements are.  


   
Speak Out 

Make Wal-Mart and Hanes take responsibility for their actions. Click here to write a letter to Wal-Mart executives demanding the company correct the situation at TOS.

    

Today, workers are TOS Dominicana are engaged in a courageous struggle to organize a union and defend their basic rights. The brutal response of Hanesbrands, and Wal-Mart's refusal to intervene, speak volumes.

Worker Profiles

 
Click below to read in-depth stories about the workers profiled in the video:
 
   
Worker Profiles

Enilda
Enilda moved back to her hometown of Bonao to work at TOS so that she could be with her family, but she barely gets to see them because she has to work six twelve hour shifts in order to pay for her basic costs.

   
Worker Profiles 

Marleny
Marleny Franco was fired from TOS Dominicana shortly after she had organized a meeting to address discrimination against women in the workplace.

   
Worker Profiles 

Elvys
Elvys Manuel Abreu works in TOS to support his wife and seven-month old baby. He has had to work with kidney stones, the flu and with a broken finger because the company does not pay any sick days.

   
Worker Profiles 

Marielena
When Marielena started working at TOS she was told she would work four machines. However the factory increased the workload to six machines. The heavy workload gave her serious health problems.

   

Worker Profiles

 

Anonymous
This worker was born in Bonao where she now works for TOS Dominicana in the knitting department in order to support her four-year old son.

 

Workers Rights Consortium Assessment of TOS Dominicana

   
WRC Report

WRC Assessment re TOS Dominicana (PDF)
Findings and Recommendations, June 6, 2007

   
Made for Wal-Mart 

Original Report release
WRC released another report documenting similar problems in the Dominican Republic at the TOS Dominicana textile factory. TOS Dominicana is owned and operated by Hanesbrands Inc. and employs nearly 1,100 workers.


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