Pressure Levi's to Settle Saipan Lawsuit

Action Alert!
Help Us Pressure Levi's to Settle the Lawsuit!
source: Sweatshop Watch March 18, 2003

Dear Friends,

On March 20, 2003 in Saipan, we anticipate the final approval of the Saipan sweatshop settlement with 26 U.S. retailers and 23 Saipan garment manufacturers.

Levi Strauss & Company continues to be the only retailer that refuses to settle the Saipan sweatshop lawsuit. Please help us pressure Levi's by sending the action alert below to your contacts and by linking to our web site http://www.sweatshopwatch.org/marianas/help.html where you can download materials and postcards.

In peace and solidarity,

Deirdre O'Boyle
Sweatshop Watch

ACTION ALERT!

Tell Levi's it's high time they settled the Saipan sweatshop lawsuit.

Levi's Jeans are an American icon and their logo is recognized by consumers around the world, even in the most remote regions of the globe. Many consumers identify with the logo but are unaware of Levi's refusal to settle the Saipan sweatshop lawsuit, even though they spent 14 years on the island profiting from the exploitation of workers. On March 20, 2003, a Fairness Hearing will be held in Saipan, and it's expected that the $20 million dollar settlement will be approved.

26 U.S. retailers and 23 Saipan garment manufacturers settled the case, and Levi's is the only retailer who refuses to settle. The retailers who have settled include: Abercrombie & Fitch; Brooks Brothers; Brylane L.P.; Calvin Klein Inc.; Cutter & Buck, Inc.; Donna Karan International; Dress Barn; Gap, Inc. (Banana Republic, Old Navy); The Gymboree Corp.; J.C. Penney Company, Inc.; J. Crew Group, Inc.; Jones Apparel Group; Lane Bryant, Inc.; The Limited, Inc.; Liz Claiborne Inc.; The May Department Stores Company; Nordstrom, Inc.; Oshkosh B'Gosh Inc.; Phillips-Van Heusen; Polo Ralph Lauren; Sears Roebuck and Company; Talbots, Inc.; Target Corp. (Target, Mervyn's, Marshall Fields, Dayton-Hudson); Tommy Hilfiger USA Inc.; Warnaco, Inc.; and Woolrich, Inc.

For more information on the case and to download postcards and factsheets please visit:
http://www.sweatshopwatch.org/marianas/help.html

Tell Levi's that as a consumer you care about the workers in Saipan; and as a $4.3 billion company they should take responsibility for their involvement in Saipan's sweatshops.

--SAMPLE LETTER--

FAX TO: Robert Haas, Levi's Chairman - (415) 501-7112 or
EMAIL: Robert Haas, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
EMAIL: Michael Koboriin in Levi's Social Responsibility Department
- This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Robert Haas, Chairman
Michael Korboriin
Levi-Strauss & Co.
1155 Battery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111

Dear Mr. Haas & Michael Korboriin:

As a Levi's customer, I want to express my concern about the sweatshop conditions and labor abuses on the island of Saipan. As a global company contracting in dozens of countries worldwide, Levi's has an obligation to its customers and its workers to reverse the race to the bottom in labor standards that is occurring in the apparel industry. In Saipan and across the globe, Levi's has a responsibility to lead the way towards ending labor and human rights abuses by taking steps to:

Levi's has an obligation to its customers and workers to stop the exploitation and attack of basic human rights occurring in the apparel industry, but currently Levi's stands alone in failing to end sweatshop abuse in Saipan.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to hearing your response.

Sincerely,