If it’s possible to say that there is good news from the sweatshop front, here it comes, from our friends at the National Labor Committee:

• Fifty-eight workers fired for organizing a union at the Star SA factory in Honduras’s El Porvenir free trade zone (owned by the U.S. Anvil t-shirt company) have been reinstated to their jobs with back wages and legal recognition for their union.  After the workers were fired in November, they held massive peaceful demonstrations in front of the free trade zone with as many as 600 workers.  Factory and zone management called in the police, (many of whom arrived in black ski masks carrying assault rifles.)  To Nike’s credit, this time they did the right thing.  After receiving a letter from the NLC, Nike immediately dispatched a representative to Honduras who quickly concluded that the workers were unjustly and illegally fired.

          Yesterday, the Star workers held their first official union assembly, elected their new union leaders and                   held a huge victory party.

• One hundred and thirty-five foreign guest workers at the Cotton Craft factory in Jordan–who were routinely cheated of their overtime pay–are each now receiving hundreds of dollars in back wages legally due them.  Needless to say, these poor guest workers who never expected to win are not only overjoyed but inspired to continue their struggle for justice.

    Something to cheer for.