Speaker: Carmencita Chie Abad

Carmencita "Chie" Abad will speak and lead a discussion after the films "Deadly Embrace: Nicaragua, World Bank & IMF" & "Global Village or Global Pillage". Chie Abad speaks from personal experience about the hardships endured by millions of workers in sweatshops around the world. Chie spent six years as a garment worker on the Pacific island of Saipan, a U.S. territory. She endured wretched working conditions, frequently working 14-hour shifts in order to meet arbitrary production quotas for her employer, the Sako Corporation, which makes clothes for the Gap and other U.S. retailers. When she tried to organize a union, Chie was met by fierce resistance from management and eventually lost her job. She now lives in the U.S., where she works to educate Americans about the inhumane factory conditions occurring worldwide, including on U.S. soil. Chie was instrumental in forcing 26 major retailers to settle a lawsuit in Septmber 2002 to improve conditions in Saipan. Her story is an inspiring example of how people can win if they stand up for their rights