{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-omar-mcgovern-schakowsky-lead-letter-demanding-living-wages-bangladeshi", "Reps. Omar, McGovern, Schakowsky Lead Letter Demanding Living Wages for Bangladeshi Garment Workers", "2023-12-18", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) led a letter today to the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) to support fairer wages and to protect labor rights for Bangladeshi workers. The letter is co-signed by Reps. Ra\u00fal Grijalva, Barbara Lee, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, David Trone, and Susan Wild.\n\n\u201cWe are writing to urge the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) to strongly support the demands of Bangladesh\u2019s garment workers for fairer wages,\u201d the lawmakers wrote.\n\n\u201cAs you know, the recent wage increases announced by Bangladesh\u2019s wage board, which would not even meet the rising cost of living, have led to extended mass protests. Police have responded with violence against protesters and trade union leaders, resulting in at least four deaths, numerous injuries, and a wave of unjust arrests, detentions, and indefinite factory shutdowns. We agree with the Biden administration\u2019s call for the government of Bangladesh to respect and protect workers\u2019 rights to organize, protest peacefully, and collectively bargain without fear of retaliation, violence, or intimidation.\u201d\n\nRecent negotiations over a new minimum wage for garment workers have led to mass demonstrations, ever since the wage board announced an increase far below living wage levels. Factory owners and police have responded to the protests with intimidation and violence. U.S. brands must use their influence and stand together with workers by immediately demanding better wages and rights for Bangladeshi working families.\n\nThis letter echoes the sentiments of local worker organizations, international trade unions, and the U.S. government to revisit the minimum wage decision and respect worker rights, including the freedom of association.\n\nThe letter is endorsed by Academics Stand Against Poverty, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (AFL-CIO Affiliate), IndustriALL Global Union, Institute for Policy Studies \u2013 Global Economy Project, Labour Behind the Label, Oxfam America, and Workers United (SEIU Affiliate).\n\nYou can read the full letter here and below.\n\nStephen Lamar\n\nPresident and CEO\n\nAmerican Apparel & Footwear Association\n\n740 6th Street N.W.\n\nWashington, D.C. 20001\n\nDear Mr. Lamar,\n\nWe are writing to urge the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) to strongly support the demands of Bangladesh\u2019s garment workers for fairer wages. Due to their significant presence and operational leverage in Bangladesh, we believe that AAFA member companies are strongly positioned to support workers\u2019 petitions for livable wages and to vocally champion their labor rights in a key country for the global apparel industry. The escalating repression that Bangladeshi workers are enduring underscores the urgent need for transformative, systemic reform\u2014a call to action that U.S. corporations must heed.\n\nAs you know, the recent wage increases announced by Bangladesh\u2019s wage board, which would not even meet the rising cost of living, have led to extended mass protests. Police have responded with violence against protesters and trade union leaders, resulting in at least four deaths, numerous injuries, and a wave of unjust arrests, detentions, and indefinite factory shutdowns. We echo the Biden administration\u2019s call for the government of Bangladesh to respect and protect workers\u2019 rights to organize, protest peacefully, and collectively bargain without fear of retaliation, violence, or intimidation.\n\nWhile we were encouraged to see several U.S. brands express support for a wage increase and a fair, transparent wage setting process, words are not enough. The reluctance to support a living wage of 23,000 BDT, or around $208 per month, is not only disheartening but shameful. We implore the American Apparel & Footwear Association to:\n\n\u00b7 Call for an immediate end to the violence perpetrated by police and other security forces against workers;\n\n\u00b7 Pressure the government and garment manufacturers of Bangladesh to improve the wage setting process and accept workers\u2019 minimum demand of $208 per month to align with the real cost of living;\n\n\u00b7 Commit to maintaining a long-term sourcing relationship with your suppliers and to increasing your purchasing prices to fully absorb the additional labor costs;\n\n\u00b7 Foster transparency and accountability in the business operations and supply chains of member companies to safeguard labor and human rights, including the right to freedom of association;\n\n\u00b7 Instruct your suppliers to promptly withdraw or to dismiss any false criminal cases filed against workers and union leaders;\n\n\u00b7 Warn your suppliers to stop filing criminal cases against workers, and make clear that the dismissal, blacklisting, or other harassment of workers and union leaders is unacceptable and will influence your sourcing decisions;\n\n\u00b7 Call on Bangladeshi authorities to stop arresting workers and union leaders in response to wage protests and to immediately release innocent detained individuals; and,\n\n\u00b7 Use your considerable leverage with individual factory owners and industry associations to ensure that workers are paid in spite of recent factory closures.\n\nBrands with factories in the Export Processing Zones (EPZ) sector should note that EPZs have their own Minimum Wage Board, which has just recently been constituted. Brand engagement can play a critical role in ensuring that the EPZ wage setting process does not follow the same disastrous and unfair path as in the garment sector outside the zones. There is still a chance for a better outcome that will not trap EPZ workers in poverty for another 5 years.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-omar-mcgovern-schakowsky-lead-letter-demanding-living-wages-bangladeshi"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.681810012087226, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}