PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Pittsburghers in Solidarity with Bangladeshi garment workers
by Matt Toups Sunday, Oct. 17, 2004 at 6:10 PM
mtoups@indymedia.org (email address validated)

The Bangladesh Workers' Tour stopped in Pittsburgh this past weekend on the national tour organized by the National Labor Committee (a US group) and the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) of Bangladesh. They're touring the US to bring attention to the nearly 1.8 million women who work in the sweatshops of Bangladesh to produce apparel for export. The event was hosted by the Pittsburgh Anti-Sweatshop Community Alliance.

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Above: On the left is Mongezi Nkomo, a South African freedom fighter who has founded Azania Heritage International here in Pittsburgh, PA. In the center, holding the Willie Stargell Figurine is Sheikh Nazma, President of the Bangladesh Center For Workers Solidarity. On the far rights is Michelle Gaffey, an organizer with the Pittsburgh Anti-Sweatshop Community Alliance.

The Bangladesh Workers' Tour stopped in Pittsburgh this past weekend on the US tour organized by the National Labor Committee (a US group) and the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) of Bangladesh. They're touring the US to bring attention to the nearly 1.8 million women who work in the sweatshops of Bangladesh to produce apparel for export.

Workers from Bangladesh spoke to a group at Duquesne University, which recently joined the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC), an independent sweatshop monitoring group. Carnegie Mellon and 127 other universities are affilitated with the WRC; activists at the University of Pittsburgh are encouraging Pitt to join as well.

Later Saturday afternoon the workers held a rally on Freedom Corner in the Hill District. Representatives from labor, student, immigrant and civil rights groups offered their solidaritry to the workers.

Numerous local organizations and unions co-sponsored the event, including: the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2459, Black and White Reunion, Center for Interpretive and Qualitative Research (Duquesne U.), Duquesne Graduate Student Organization, Graphic Communications International (GCIU) Union Local 23, Industrial Workers of the World - Pittsburgh, PA General Membership Branch, International Socialist Organization, People for Workers Rights (Carnegie Mellon U.), Mon Valley Unemployed Committee, Student and Faculty Social Justice Committee (Duquesne U.), Students in Solidarity (University of Pittsburgh), Western PA Labor and Religion Coalition AFL-CIO.

Kenneth Miller, original organizer of the No Sweatshops Bucco! Campaign, said "we view workers in Pittsburgh in solidarity, not competition, with workers in other parts of the world."

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Rally on Freedom Corner
by Matt Toups Sunday, Oct. 17, 2004 at 6:10 PM
mtoups@indymedia.org

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Freedom Corner has served as a focal point for civil rights movements since the 1960s.

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Signs: Bangladeshi workers and Pittsburgh pirates
by Matt Toups Sunday, Oct. 17, 2004 at 6:10 PM
mtoups@indymedia.org

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On the right is Barney Oursler of the Mon Valley Unemployed Committee.

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Rafiq Alam speaks
by Matt Toups Sunday, Oct. 17, 2004 at 6:10 PM
mtoups@indymedia.org

audio link: MP3 at 310.4 kibibytes

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Rafiq Alam served as interpreter for the Bangledeshi workers tour. With Bangledeshi workers, he helped win maternity leave campaign and worked on relief efforts to help flood victims. Mr. Alam spoke to us on Freedom Corner Saturday about garment factories in Bangladesh.

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Mongezi Sefika wa Nkomo of Azania Heritage International speaks
by Matt Toups Sunday, Oct. 17, 2004 at 6:10 PM
mtoups@indymedia.org

audio link: MP3 at 440.7 kibibytes

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Mongezi Sefika wa Nkomo of Azania Heritage International, who fought against Apartheid in South Africa for many years, also spoke to the Bangledeshi workers and to the crowd of Pittsburghers.

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Bread and Roses
by Matt Toups Sunday, Oct. 17, 2004 at 6:10 PM
mtoups@indymedia.org

audio: ogg vorbis at 1.4 mebibytesaudio: ogg vorbis at 1.4 mebibytes

The Raging Grannies sang Bread and Roses on Freedom Corner. Recorded Saturday, October 16, 2004.

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