End sweatshop conditions
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 The Oregonian
DEBORAH SCHWARTZ Portland Sweatfree Coalition North Portland
Regarding "Work complaints hang over plant" (June 14), raids are not a solution to sweatshop conditions found at the Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. plant.
In fact, these raids allow sweatshops to thrive by driving workers further underground and making workers more vulnerable to exploitation at the hands of unscrupulous employers.
Instead of cracking down on vulnerable workers, the government should be focusing on the real culprits -- multinational corporations that profit from sweatshop conditions and the exploitation of workers.
The city of Portland should take steps to end sweatshop conditions by enacting stronger labor-law enforcement (not immigration enforcement) as an effective means to combat sweatshop conditions and protect all workers.
