According to the article "Haiti Sweatshops: Your Taxes At Work" written by Julia Lutsky, Sweatshop workers in Haiti earn an "astounding" 30 cents per day while working 70 hours per week. Remember those Pocahantas pajamas you used to wear when you were younger? They were about $11.97? L. V. Miles is an assembly plant in Port- au- Prince Haiti where under contract the workers are paid $3.33 per day. Minimum wage is a little more than seven dollars an hour in this country. Whose life to do you suppose is more difficult? A single mother of five ( don't forget that each day is a constant struggle for Haitian not to be kidnapped in the middle of the night, murdered and other horrible situations) living in haiti earning $23 dollars per week? What about a single mother of five in America earning $50 dollars per week? Suddenly seven dollars an hour doesn't sound so bad, does it?
According to the article, Walmart states they are commited to buying as much U.S. merchandise as possible. "Little Leaguer' products say made in the U.S. but are actually made in Port-au-Prince. This makes me wonder about the clothes I wear. I don't wear expensive name brand clothing but if Walmart can lie about where their clothes are made, who knows how much of "U.S" clothing is made in third world countries?
I'd be lying if I didn't mention I just happen to be Haitian myself, so reading articles such as these hits me on a more personal level. I have never been to haiti, the lack of government, security, and increase in violence is part of that. Even so, even if things such as these which occur in pretty much every country at one time or another, weren't part of the reason for my never being there, How would I support myself on $3 per day. We are going through an economic crisis and my secular future among other things is at stake, but how is a country that has never had a real economy doing compared to us?
Alpha Sewing is another company located in Haiti. The hours are form 6am- 5:30 pm Monday- Saturday with an NINE AND A HALF HOURS ON SUNDAY. Some workers had to work seven Sundays without a break. I can't imagine 50 days without a day off plus 70 hours per week. When asked whether USAID favored an increase in minimum wage, Brian Atwood (administrator of USAID) replied, "I don't think the economy is ready for such measures." Whose economy isn't ready, ours or one of the poorest countries in the world? Makes me think twice about buying anything with a disney logo on it. Just business I guess.
