ACTION REQUEST ON BEHALF OF LEVI'S WORKERS

Dear Friends,

The Clean Clothes Campaign urgently requests your action on behalf of Levi Strauss workers in Belgium and France.

Levi Strauss, the largest brand-name clothing manufacturer in the world, has announced plans to close three factories in Belgium and one in France. This U.S.- based, privately-held company is highly profitable in general, and specifically in Europe. There is no financial, economic, or commercail need to close production units in Belgium or France. Nevertheless, management insists that these closures are necessary and they refuse to make a concerted effort to explore the alternatives.

Please contact Carl von Burskirk, contact person for Levi Strauss and Co Europe, as well as Bob Haas, CEO of Levi's, TODAY to let them know what you think of the way this so-called socially responsible employer treats its workers. Levi's is expected to make a final decision this week on whether they will close these factories or pursue another course for cutting costs, therefore your messages of solidarity with trade union demands should be sent out as soon as possible.

The great dialogue that Levi's brags about having with its European workers is a sham. While Levi Strauss might ask their workers' council to come up with alternatives to closure, they immediately reject these proposals without evaluating the suggestions. The trade unions involved conclude that the company does not take this seriously at all.

Demand transparency from Levi Strauss regarding their European restructuring plan. Request that they bargain in good faith with ETUC/TCL at European level, with ABVV (Textiel, Kleding en Diamant) and ACV (Textiel en Kleding) in Belgium and CGT, CFDT and CFTC in France.
Demand documentation of: the exact composition of the cost price of a finished product at all their European plants. The Belgian and French trade unions have demanded an overall European external analysis of the situation, but Levi's refuses.
Demand that Levi Strauss management make a real effort to explore alternatives, demand that research is done to reveal how and why decisions to close factories are made.
Demand documentation of the exact composition of the cost price of a finished product at all their European plants.
Demand real evaluations of proposals that temporary unemployment or reduction of working hours, a shift to non-denim production or a reduction in other costs be pursued instead plant closures.
Tell Levi's that vague phrases mentioning "over capacity" do not constitute a satisfactory analysis of the situation.

This call for action coincides with the one-year anniversary of Levi's earlier restructuring announcement: the closure of 11 plants in the United States and the layoff of 6,400 employees. The U.S. women worker's organization Fuerza Unida is calling for one-day hunger strike to draw attention to Levi's restructuring in Europe and in the United States.

Tell Levi's management that you, your organization and your networks are in solidarity not only with worker's who demand to be treated decently at Levi's European and U.S. factories, but also that you support campaigns that call for the implementation of ILO standards of working conditions at all of Levi Strauss' factories and subcontractors worldwide.
Let them know that you won't settle for anything less than the implementation of these standards and independent monitoring to ensure that any pledge they make amounts to more than a pile of words on a corporate press release.

Send your letters and messages to:

Bob Haas
Levi Strauss & Co.
1155 Battery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
United States
Fax: 415-501-712
E-mail: levistrauss@levi.com

Carl von Burskirk
Levi Strauss & Co. Europe
Avenue Arnaud Fraiteur 15-23
1050 Brussels Belgium
Fax: +32-2-640-2997