The legacy of earlier manifestations of the global economy is extreme economic inequalities between nations. Let s do a quick imaging exercise. After doing this for a little while, put up our definition of sweatshops and show briefly how it ties into some of their images. A sweatshop is a workplace in the apparel industry where workers are subject to extreme exploitation, including the absence of a living wage or benefits, poor working conditions, and arbitrary discipline. Sweatshops impact the lives of many people.
Sweatshops are a workers rights issue.
Some say workers in these countries make enough to live on in that country, though it sounds low by US standards. Sweatshops are a women s rights issue. Most of the women in this room would be sweatshop workers, for example. Women workers are subject to special forms of corporate abuse on the job. For example, workers in some Mexican and Central American plants are given Depro-Provera shots as a preconditions for employment to prevent pregnancy and to prevent menstruation.