[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 130 (Thursday, September 19, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11034-S11036]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HARKIN:
  S. 2094. A bill to inform and empower consumers in the United States 
through a voluntary labeling system for wearing apparel and sporting 
goods made without abusive and exploitative child labor, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


         The Child Labor Free Consumer Information Act of 1996

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Child Labor Free 
Consumer Information Act of 1996, legislation to establish a voluntary 
labeling system to help inform American consumers whether wearing 
apparel or sporting goods they see on the store shelves are made 
without the use of abusive and exploitative child labor.
  Although it is late in the session, I believe we should begin a 
substantive dialog about ending child labor right now. That is why I am 
introducing this legislation today. And I intend on reintroducing this 
measure at the beginning of the next Congress.


                          A Worldwide Scourge

  When I speak about child labor, I am not talking about children 
helping out on the family farm or running errands after school. I am 
speaking about children who are forced to work in hazardous and 
dangerous conditions--children denied the classroom and driven into the 
workrooms.
  Child labor is a scourge around the world. But we can't dismiss the 
problem simply because it may occur an ocean away. We cannot ease our 
conscience by declaring it a ``them'' problem, because it is not. It is 
an ``us'' problem. And all of us can do something to stop it.
  Take a moment to look around. Maybe it's the shirt you have on right 
now. Or the silk tie or blouse. Or the soccer ball you kick around with 
the kids in the backyard. Or the tennis shoes you wear on weekends.
  Chances are that you have purchased something--perhaps many things--
made with abusive and exploitative child labor. And chances are you 
were completely unaware that was the case. That is hardly surprising. 
Because the tag we see for items in our stores tell us how much we have 
to pay to buy it. But it doesn't tell us how much someone else had to 
pay to make it.
  For example, the price tag on a soccer ball doesn't tell us that a 
young child in South Asia--perhaps no older than 5 years of age--paid 
to make it by working in cramped conditions, stitching together balls 
for hours at a time and a dollar a day.
  Last year, the United States imported almost 50 percent of the 
wearing

[[Page S11035]]

apparel sold in America and the garment industry netted $34 billion. 
According to the Department of Commerce, last year the United States 
imported 494.1 million pairs of athletic footwear and produced only 
65.3 million here at home.
  Americans may ask, ``What does this have to do with us?'' It is quite 
simple. By protecting the rights of workers everywhere, we will be 
protecting jobs and opportunities here at home. A U.S. worker cannot 
compete with a 12 year old working 12 hours a day for 12 cents an hour.


                             Public Support

  As I have traveled around the country and spoken with people about 
the issue of abusive and exploitative child labor, I have found that 
consumers--ordinary Americans--want to get involved. They want 
information. They want to know if products on the shelves are made by 
children. And they do not want to buy it if it is.
  Public opinion polls back that up. According to a survey sponsored by 
Marymount University last year, more than three out of four Americans 
said they would avoid shopping at stores if they were aware that the 
goods sold there were made by exploitative and abusive child labor. 
Consumers also said that they would be willing to pay an extra $1 on a 
$20 garment if it were guaranteed to be made under legitimate 
circumstances.
  Mr. President, consumers have spoken. They do not want to reward 
companies with their hard earned dollars by buying products made with 
abusive and exploitative child labor.
  This body has also spoken. On September 23, 1993, the Senate put 
itself on record in opposition to the abhorrent practice of exploiting 
children for commercial gain. This body passed a sense-of-the-Senate 
resolution that I introduced which asserted that it should be the 
policy of the United States to prohibit the importation of products 
made with the use of abusive and exploitative child labor. This was the 
first step to ending child labor. Now it's time for the next.


                         Let the Buyer Be Aware

  The Child Labor Free Consumer Information Act of 1996 will inform and 
empower American consumers by establishing a voluntary labeling system 
for wearing apparel and sporting goods made without abusive and 
exploitative child labor.
  In my view, a system of voluntary labeling holds the best promise of 
giving consumers the information they want--and giving the companies 
that manufacture these products the recognition they deserve.
  The centerpiece of this legislation is the establishment of a working 
group of members from the wearing apparel and sporting goods 
industries; labor organizations; consumer advocacy and human rights 
groups; along with the Secretaries of Commerce, Treasury, and Labor. 
This Child Labor Free Commission would establish a labeling standard 
and develop a system to assure compliance that items were not made with 
abusive and exploitative child labor.
  In my view, Congress cannot do it alone through legislation. The 
Department of Labor cannot do it alone through enforcement. It takes 
all of us--from the private sector to labor and human rights groups--to 
take responsibility and work together to end abusive and exploitative 
child labor.


                           Voluntary Approach

  Let me be clear, companies can choose whether to use the label. This 
bill is not about big government telling the private sector what to do. 
It is based on the commonsense approach that a fully informed American 
consumer will make the right and moral choice and vote against abusive 
and exploitative child labor with their pocketbook.
  We have seen such an approach work effectively with the Rugmark label 
for hand-knotted oriental carpets. It is operating in some European 
countries. Consumers who want to buy child labor-free carpets can just 
look for the Rugmark label.
  Over 150,000 carpets have received the Rugmark label and been shipped 
to Germany. Rugmark licenses already provide 30 percent of German 
carpet imports from India. And I am pleased to say that there are now 
two wholesalers in New York that offer carpets with the Rugmark label.


                          Building on Progress

  Mr. President, the progress that has been made on eradicating abusive 
and exploitative child labor is irreversible. We must continue working 
together to end child labor for all. And I believe my bill provides a 
road map to reaching that goal.
  It allows the consumer to know more about the products they buy and 
it gives companies that use the label the recognition they deserve. I 
urge my colleagues to support my bill.
  Our Nation began this century by working to end abusive and 
exploitative child labor in America, let us close this century by 
ending child labor around the world.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that additional material be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

            Marymount University Center for Ethical Concerns


 new garment workers study finds americans intolerant of sweatshops in 
                            garment industry

       Arlington, VA--Retailers selling clothing made in 
     sweatshops operating in the United States could feel the ire 
     of American consumers, suggests a new survey sponsored by 
     Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. The new study 
     shows that consumers would avoid stores that sell goods made 
     in sweatshops and be more inclined to shop at stores working 
     actively to prevent garment worker abuses.
       According to the survey, more than three-fourths of 
     Americans would avoid shopping at stores if they were aware 
     that the stores sold goods made in sweatshops. Consumers also 
     are willing to pay a price for assurances that the goods they 
     buy are not made in sweatshops. An overwhelming majority (84 
     percent) say they would be willing to pay up to an extra $1 
     on a $20 garment if were guaranteed to be made in a 
     legitimate shop.
       The study, sponsored by Marymount's Center for Ethical 
     Concerns and the Department of Fashion Design and 
     Merchandising, was prompted by the recent discovery of 
     sweatshops operating in the United States in which illegal 
     aliens smuggled into the country were forced to produce 
     garments under almost slave labor conditions. In one factory, 
     raided earlier this year by U.S. officials, workers had been 
     confined in a barbed wire-enclosed compound and forced to 
     work between 16 and 22 hours a day. Workers were paid less 
     than $1 an hour and essentially held captive until they had 
     repaid the cost of their passage to the United States, a 
     process that took years in some cases.
       Since these revelations, the U.S. Department of Labor has 
     been working with retailers to encourage greater diligence in 
     policing the industry voluntarily and plans in the near 
     future to release a list of companies that have agreed to 
     cooperate in these efforts. The new study shows that a 
     substantial majority of Americans (66 percent) would be more 
     likely to patronize stores that they know are cooperating 
     with law enforcement officials to prevent sweatshops. If such 
     a list were published, more than two-thirds (69 percent) of 
     consumers say they would take this information into account 
     when deciding where to do their shopping this holiday season.
       ``It is gratifying to know that Americans condemn these 
     sweatshop conditions and are willing to demonstrate that 
     commitment when they shop, even if it costs them a few 
     pennies. The industry, including retailers, has a 
     responsibility to make sure it is not selling garments made 
     in sweatshops, and the public is willing to hold them 
     accountable,'' said Sr. Eymard Gallagher, RSHM, president of 
     Marymount University. ``Despite the competitiveness in the 
     industry, we can't close our eyes to these kinds of 
     conditions that we thought had disappeared years ago,'' she 
     said.
       The telephone survey of 1,008 randomly selected adults, was 
     conducted by ICR Survey Research Group of Media, PA, at the 
     request of Marymount. The survey has a margin of error of 
     plus or minus 3 percentage points.
       Marymount University's fashion design and fashion 
     merchandising programs are among the leaders in this field in 
     the United States. Marymount is an independent, Catholic 
     university, emphasizing excellence in teaching, attention to 
     the individual, and values and ethics across the curriculum. 
     Located in Arlington, Virginia, Marymount enrolls 4,200 men 
     and women in its 34 undergraduate and 24 master's degree 
     programs.


                    study background and objectives

       United States officials recently discovered that workers 
     who had been smuggled into this country were making garments 
     in sweatshops where they were forced to work long hours under 
     extremely poor working conditions for less than the minimum 
     wage. As a result, this research was conducted to determine:
       Whether respondents would avoid shopping at retailers if 
     aware they sold garments made in sweatshops;
       Whether respondents would be more inclined to shop in 
     retail stores cooperating with law enforcement officials to 
     prevent sweatshops;
       Whether respondents would be willing to pay $1 more for a 
     $20 garment if it were guaranteed to be made in a legitimate 
     shop;

[[Page S11036]]

       Whether respondents would be more likely this holiday 
     season to shop in retail stores on a forthcoming list of 
     retailers assisting authorities in their effort to end abuse 
     of United States garment workers; and
       Whether the manufacturers or the retailers should have the 
     responsibility of preventing sweatshops.


                          research methodology

       The research entailed a telephone interview insert in ICR 
     Survey Research Group's EXCEL Omnibus. Each EXCEL includes a 
     national random sample of approximately 1,000 adults (18+), 
     half male and half female.
       Interviewing was conducted from Friday, October 27 through 
     Tuesday, October 31. A total of 1008 interviews were 
     completed. Data has been weighted to reflect the U.S. 
     population 18 years of age and older (188,700,000).


    in a nutshell . . . here are the findings; retailers--beware of 
                           sweatshop garments

       Americans overwhelmingly support the idea of officials 
     publishing a list of retailers who assist law enforcement 
     agencies in their effort to end abuse of United States 
     garment workers. Seven-in-ten respondents indicate they would 
     be more likely to shop at the stores this holiday season that 
     cooperate to end garment worker abuse. Consumers are willing 
     to pay a price for assurances that goods they buy are not 
     made in sweathshops. 84% of consumers would pay an additional 
     $1 on a $20 item if they knew the garment was guaranteed to 
     be made in a legitimate shop.
       Most Americans (76%) blame the existence of sweatshops on 
     the manufacturers who employ the contractors or workers. 
     However, if consumers knew a retailer sold garments that were 
     made in sweatshops, nearly eight-in-ten would avoid shopping 
     there. As the holiday season starts to kick-off, retailers 
     would be wise to ensure their garments were in fact made in 
     legitimate shops. Given the potential for enticing customers 
     with legitimately made garments, and the potential for losing 
     customers if caught selling sweatshop-made garments, 
     promoting legitimately made garments provides a strategic 
     business opportunity for retailers.
                                 ______