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Action Alert: Send a fax to the Gap!

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Gap Chairman Donald Fisher. Let your voice be heard!

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Donald Fisher, Chairman The Gap, Inc. One Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Dear Mr. Fisher, As consumers and concerned citizens, we are writing to you because we are concerned with the conditions of the workers producing garments for GAP Inc. on the island of Saipan in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and all over the world. We continue to be concerned about the charges made in reports by federal enforcement agencies, the U.S. Congress and the lawsuit filed against GAP Inc. and 25 other retailers and manufacturers on the island of Saipan. As you know, these charges include the use of immigrant workers from China, Thailand, Philippines, Bangladesh and Vietnam who must first sign contracts that deny them their basic human rights; the payment of exorbitant recruitment fees that keep workers in a state of indentured servitude; workdays of up to 12 hours a day, seven days a week, often without overtime pay; union-busting and housing in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. Currently 19 companies have agreed to the settlements. Nordstrom Inc., The Gymboree Corp., Cutter and Buck Inc., and J. Crew Group Inc. were the first to settle in August 1999. Since then, Brooks Brothers, Brylane L.P., Calvin Klein Inc., Donna Karan International Inc., The Dress Barn Inc., Jones Apparel Group Inc., Liz Claiborne Inc., The May Department Stores Company, Oshkosh B'Gosh Inc., Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., Sears Roebuck and Company, Tommy Hilfiger U.S.A. Inc., Warnaco Group, Inc., and Woolrich Inc. have all agreed to settle as well. We applaud these businesses for their move towards justice for workers in Saipan and we urge GAP Inc. to do the same. The settlements include both prospective relief-prohibiting Saipan-based contractors from violating the law in the future, with strict monitoring provisions to ensure compliance--and retroactive relief--payments to garment worker class members whose rights were violated in the past. Perhaps the strongest aspect of prospective relief is the Saipan Code of Conduct, which provides for extensive on-site monitoring by Verite, a non-profit international human rights monitoring organization based out of Amherst, Massachusetts. GAP Inc. consistently assures its customers that it does not tolerate abuses in the factories where it does business. It insists that its internal monitoring system is so rigorous that any abuses would be detected and corrected. But the lawsuit--which includes firsthand investigations and interviews with dozens of workers--belies GAP's assertions. GAP Inc. should truly enforce its Code of Conduct and agree to an on-site monitoring plan by Verite, as other businesses have already agreed to do. If GAP Inc. is going to continue production in Saipan, it should uphold its values as a responsible business and settle the lawsuit. It should also strive to make changes and enforce its Code of Conduct in all of the other countries where it does business. We understand that GAP Inc. does business in 50 countries around the world, including Saipan. We are asking you to settle the Saipan lawsuit, as well as include a "living wage" in your Code of Conduct so that all GAP Inc. employees can live with dignity and respect and be proud to work for your company. Until then, we will continue to pressure your company through educating consumers and protesting your stores and Headquarters. We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter, and look forward to hearing your response. Sincerely,

Thank you!

This page last updated April 03, 2007


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