Gap UNITEs in El Salvador
Gap inc. is getting behind the union label in El Salvador.
The San Francisco specialty retail chain has joined forces with the New York–based Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) to support the first independent and fully unionized apparel export factory in El Salvador. Gap is placing an order with the factory for T-shirts.
Two years ago, UNITE led a campaign to highlight workers’ conditions in factories producing clothes for Gap and other U.S. retailers. One of those factories, Just Garments, was in El Salvador. The factory’s owners closed the plant after undergoing a labor dispute with the union. Gap was one of the factory’s customers.
About one year ago, UNITE initiated talks with Gap about supporting the factory once it was reopened with labor belonging to a union called the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria Textile. The two sides reached an agreement, which was announced on April 19.
“Right now, we are placing one order, and future orders will depend on our business needs and the production capacity of the factory,” said Alan Marks, Gap’s vice president of corporate communication. Marks said the company currently produces garments in nine factories in El Salvador.
UNITE President Bruce Raynor praised Gap for helping workers in El Salvador. “We realized we could work together and create positive change for workers in El Salvador and elsewhere,” he said in a statement. —Deborah Belgum
