9/5/98

To the Mountain Equipment Co-op (info@mec.ca),

I am writing with regards to the situation at the J.B. Fields sock manufacturing plant in Trenton, Ontario. As you may be aware, 38 women of UNITE (Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees) local 1764 have been on strike since March 23, 1998 (www.angelfire.com/on/unite1764/). The workers are fighting for basic union principles; a collective agreement with provisions dealing with seniority, union representation and job security.

As described under the Mountain Equipment Co-Op (MEC) statement of principles:

"All employees, it subsidiaries and suppliers should have safe and human working conditions, fair wages and reasonable hours of work."

I therefore ask that MEC, whose house brand of socks are made by J.B. Fields, agree not to carry any J.B. Fields products as long as that company fails to reach a fair settlement with the union.

The history of the J.B. Fields' treatment of its workers speaks for itself:

* The company, formerly called Vagden Mills, unilaterally decreased wages in August 1995. Following a reversal of the wage roll-backs by the Labour Relations Board in March of 1997, the company filed for bankruptcy only to re-open almost immediately under the new J.B. Fields name. The "bankruptcy" was used to impose take-backs in wages, benefits and working conditions.

* Under J.B. Fields, the hourly rate of the 12 men working at the plant was reduced from $13.45 per hour to $13.00 per hour. For the remainder of the production line workers - all women - making an average of $12.00 per hour, wages were reduced to anywhere between $7.07 and $10.45 per hour dependent on meeting a production quota.

* The company has demanded the right to fire any employee simply for failing to meet production quotas - quotas which management would set arbitrarily and unilaterally, with no grievance procedure as a safeguard.

* The Union president, Stacey Rousseau, has been fired three times and each time the Labour Relations Board ordered the company to re-instate her due to unjust dismissal.

The actions of the company may also jeopardize the current working conditions of the employees. About 20 years ago, union members established a health and safety committee and, over time, significant improvements have been made. Union president, Stacey Rosseau, explains:

"I can remember days when women would regularly pass out on the production line floor with machines running at 400 degrees F and no ventilation. They would come and pick us up, take us off the floor and then put us right back again when we came to."

A workers' health and safety centre assessment determined that improper ventilation was re-circulating chemicals throughout the production facility and these chemicals were being absorbed into the workers' skin. Production workers now wear full protective suits, gloves and face shields and there are showers between each machine in the dye house in case of a chemical spill.

J.B. Fields president Kris Murphy also owns Ontario Hosiery and Fabric Colour. Rosseau notes that those facilities are non-union and use mostly immigrant labourers. The workers do not wear gloves, safety glasses, or ear protection. They do not have a chemical room; instead, the chemicals are just dumped on the floor and swept down the drain. The workers do not have rubber boots to protect them from the chemicals; some even have open sores on their hands from the peroxide in the dyes.

This is an important issue for all people concerned with the rights and dignity of workers. Since the strike started the company has continued to operate using scab labour.

Please support the workers at J.B. Fields. Do not carry J.B. Fields products.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.