(The unjust global economy at work)Tell U.S. Company, Delta Apparel, to Give 25 Injured Honduran Workers Their Jobs Back!

(The unjust global economy at work)
Tell U.S. Company, Delta Apparel, to Give 25 Injured Honduran Workers Their Jobs Back!

May Day March, 2017. Sign reads “Male and female workers demand that Delta Apparel Honduras give us our jobs back.” Photo credit: CODEMUH

Between April 5-7th, 2017, U.S.-based company, Delta Apparel fired over 40 workers that suffer from musculoskeletal injuries, from their factory in Villanueva, Cortés, Honduras. Most have worked with the company for over 10 years. 25 of the 40 workers have refused to accept any settlements, and are demanding that Delta Apparel give them their jobs back.

Without their jobs, the injured workers cannot access needed medical benefits and treatments, including operations, medicines, and rehab. Since they were fired, CODEMUH and the workers have organized protests and gatherings outside of Delta’s factory. Let’s make Delta Apparel listen to them!

The 25 workers - 22 women and three men – have received medical diagnoses that demonstrate that the injuries they suffer from, have been largely caused by the repetitive assembly line work in the factories. The diagnoses of work-related injuries requires Delta to relocate workers inside the factory in order to reduce the risk factors that caused the injuries in the first place. Delta refused to do this, and instead fired the workers, using their injuries and diagnoses as the justification! This is in clear violation of Honduran law, which is already weakly enforced given the power of foreign companies, and the high rates of impunity and corruption in the Honduran government.

The Honduran Women’s Collective (CODEMUH) and 25 recently fired employees are requesting that international organizations and individuals, send letters, email, call, tweet and Facebook, the U.S.-based company, Delta Apparel. Delta Apparel’s headquarters is in Greenville, South Carolina, and is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.

Call, tweet, facebook, and write Delta Apparel and demand:

CONTACT INFO:
Delta Apparel, Corporate Headquarters:
322 South Main Street, Greenville, South Carolina 29601,
Tel: 864-232-5200
Email: investor.relations@deltaapparel.com
Twitter: @DeltaApparel
Facebook: Delta Apparel

Write the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa (SmithJA6@state.gov) and insist that they follow-up with Delta Apparel and the Honduran government to ensure the workers’ voices are heard.

In all communications, please send a copy to CODEMUH at mujeresfem@codemuh.hn. Also demonstrate your solidarity for the workers on CODEMUH’s facebook (Codemuh Codemuh)

*******
More information:
Karen Spring, Honduras Solidarity Network
spring.kj@gmail.com
http://www.hondurassolidarity.org/

*******
Why So Many Central Americans Flee North, Decade After Decade?
The exploitation and poverty, violence and government repression, corruption and impunity of Honduras and Guatemala are “American” and “Canadian” issues. The U.S. and Canadian governments, the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank, and North American companies and investors (including pension funds) maintain profitable economic and military relations with the Guatemalan and Honduran regimes, turning a blind eye and/or directly contributing to environmental harms, exploitation, repression, corruption and impunity that are the norm in these countries, that force so many to flee.

Keep on sending copies of this information, and your own letters, to your politicians and media, to your pension and investment funds, asking: Why our governments, companies and investment firms benefit from and turn a blind eye to the poverty, repression and violence, and environmental and health harms in Guatemala and Honduras?

Get Informed / Get Involved