Fired Worker from Nicaragua to Speak to Kohl's Shareholder Meeting

Monday, May 22, 2000 - A fired worker from Mil Colores, an apparel factory in Nicaragua producing clothes for Kohl's Department Stores, will tell her story at the Kohl's annual shareholder meeting in Milwaukee on Tuesday, May 23, 10 a.m. at the Four Points Sheridan Hotel, Milwaukee Airport, 4747 South Howell Avenue. Local groups are sponsoring a press conference outside before the meeting.

"Rosa Esterlina Ocampo Gonzales will tell shareholders about her experience as a garment worker who lost her job because of her union activity," said Irene Senn, Office of Justice and Peace of the Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee. "Although Kohl's recently improved its code of conduct for all business partners to include recognition of workers' right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, we as shareholders in the company need to make sure all vendors producing for Kohl's comply with all provisions of its code."

The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, Milwaukee (on behalf of Cardinal Stritch University); Adrian Dominican Sisters; Catholic Healthcare West; Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Episcopal Church; School Sisters of St. Francis of Milwaukee; Mercy Health Services, Michigan; Sisters of Mercy, Burlingame, California; and the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation are sponsoring a shareholder resolution calling on Kohl's to issue a public report on how it makes sure its suppliers comply with Kohl's code of conduct. The resolution will come to a vote at Kohl's annual shareholder meeting. The resolution urges Kohl's to: Develop independent monitoring programs with local non-governmental organizations who know local conditions and are experts in human rights and labor rights; improve the quality of life of workers by implementing ongoing wage adjustments; and encourage its vendors to do the same.

Mil Colores management fired Rosa Ocampo and other union leaders on January 21, 2000. Ms. Ocampo is director of women's issues for the Textile Workers Federation. Local anti-sweatshop groups in over eighty U.S. communities have leafleted Kohl's Stores in support of worker rights at Mil Colores.

"Kohl's has taken steps to improve its code and hire auditing firms to monitor its supplier plants," stated Rev. David M. Schilling, director of Global Corporate Accountability Programs for the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), the sponsor of Ms. Ocampo's U.S. visit. "While this auditing approach is good for analyzing numbers, it's not very good for detecting violations of human rights." Rev. Schilling concluded: "We encourage the company to work with local religious and human rights groups to monitor factory conditions. These respected local organizations know the local conditions and are likely to have the trust of workers. Truly independent monitoring is an effective way to assure that workers are not abused and are able to practice their labor rights without fear of being fired."

The resolution is coordinated by the ICCR, a coalition of nearly 300 faith-based institutional investors representing over $100 billion in invested capital, including denominations, religious communities, pension funds, healthcare corporations, foundations, dioceses and publishing companies.

Ms. Ocampo will be in the US for a week, speaking to religious, educational and community groups in Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. For details, contact Emily LaBarbera-Twarog (773-213-1702), Campaign for Labor Rights.