4
       Thestrong
      smell
      of
      sweat
      in
      our
      own
      backyards
     
    
   
   
    
     
      e
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Source:
      The
     
     
      Varsity
      (University
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      Toronto)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Petty
     
    
   
   
    
     
      W
      Bozonelos
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TORONTO
     
     
      (CUP)
      -
      For
      most
     
     
      Canadians,
      the
     
     
      word
      sweatshop
     
    
   
   
    
     
      conjures
      up
      images
     
     
      of
      factories
      in
     
     
      developing
      coun-
     
     
      tries
      where
      women
     
     
      are
      paid
      pennies
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      day
      to
      work
      in
      tiny,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hot
      rooms.
      Win-
     
     
      dows
      are
      painted
     
     
      over,
      the
      air
      is
     
     
      stiflingly
      hot
      and
     
     
      the
      work
      is
      tedious.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      what
      most
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      us
      don’t
      know,
     
     
      or
      refuse
      to
      ac-
     
     
      knowledge,
      is
      that
     
     
      similar
      sweatshop
     
     
      conditions
      are
     
     
      found
      right
      here
      in
     
     
      Canada,
      in
      places
     
     
      like
      Toronto.
     
    

    
     
      The
      image
      of
     
     
      Canada
      as
      the
      “true
     
     
      north
      strong
      and
     
     
      free”
      does
      not
      hold
     
     
      true
      in
      regards
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      our
      continued
     
    
   
   
    
     
      immigrant
      garment
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _workers.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “It’s
      often
     
     
      assumed
      that
     
     
      sweatshop
      opera-
     
     
      tions
      and
     
     
      homeworking
      are
      a
     
     
      third
      world
      phe-
     
     
      nomenon,”
     
     
      Roxanna
      Ng,
      an
     
     
      anti-sweatshop
     
     
      activist,
      told
      a
      press
     
     
      conference
      this
      past
     
     
      summer.
      “When
      in
     
     
      fact
      garment
      work-
     
     
      ers
      around
      the
     
     
      world
      face
      similar
     
     
      predicaments.”
     
    

    
     
      Roxanna
      Ng’s
     
     
      report
      on
      home.
     
     
      sweatshops
      sent
     
     
      shock
      waves
     
     
      throughout
      Canada
     
     
      when
      it
      was
      re-
     
     
      leased
      this
      past
     
     
      June.
      Ng
      argues
     
     
      that
      an
      overwhelm-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      women
      in
      the
     
     
      garment
      industry
     
     
      work
      under
      sub-
     
     
      standard
      condi-
     
     
      tions,
      especially
     
     
      those
      that
      eke
      out
     
     
      their
      living
      at
     
     
      home.
     
    

    
     
      “All
      of
      the
      30
     
     
      women
      |
      inter-
     
     
      viewed
      were
      Chi-
     
     
      nese
      immigrants
     
     
      who
      worked
      below
     
     
      the
      standards
     
     
      provided
      by
      the
     
     
      Employment
     
     
      Standard
      Act,
      and
     
     
      anybody’s
      working
     
     
      conditions
      that
      do
     
     
      not
      meet
      up
      to
     
     
      these
      standards
      are
     
     
      illegal,”
      Ng
      af-
     
     
      firmed
      in
      an
      inter-
     
     
      view.
     
    

    
     
      One
      worker,
     
     
      who
      appeared
      with
     
     
      Ng
      at
      the
      June
     
     
      press
      conference,
     
     
      chose
      to
      remain
     
     
      nameless
      out
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sions
      for
      describing
     
     
      her
      working
      condi-
     
     
      tions.
      She
      was
     
     
      earning
      $3-4
      per
     
     
      hour
      and
      working
     
     
      six
      hours
      per
      day
      to
     
     
      support
      herself
      and
     
     
      her
      four-year-old
     
     
      child.
     
    

    
     
      Ng
      says
      that
     
     
      one
      of
      the
      key
     
     
      problems
      with
      the
     
     
      garment
      industry
      is
     
     
      that
      employment
     
     
      contracts
      are
      not
     
     
      written
      in
      stone.
      It
     
     
      is
      a
      piece-work
     
     
      business
      where
      the
     
     
      seamstresses
      gets
     
     
      paid
      according
      to
     
     
      each
      piece,
      1.e.
      a
     
     
      sleeve
      or
      a
      collar,
     
     
      that
      is
      completed.
     
    

    
     
      Theoretically,
     
     
      the
      faster
      one
      sews
     
     
      the
      more
      pieces
      one
     
     
      can
      accomplish
      by
     
     
      the
      hour,
      and
      hence
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Continued
      on
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Source:
      The
      Link
     
     
      (Concordia
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Univesrity)
     
     
      By
      Ariel
      Troster
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MONTREAL
     
     
      (CUP)
      -
      Libérez
     
     
      Mumia.
      If
      you
      live
     
     
      in
      Montreal
      you
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      may
      have
      seen
      the
     
     
      slogan
      sprayed
      on
     
     
      buildings
      and
      in
     
     
      alleyways
      speckled
     
     
      across
      the
      city.
      The
     
     
      image
      of
      a
      dread
     
     
      locked
      man,
      his
      face
     
     
      weathered
      by
      17
     
     
      years
      on
      death
      row,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      posters
      and
      printed
     
     
      on
      buttons
      worn
      by
     
     
      artists
      and
      activists
     
     
      all
      over
      Montreal.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      case
      is
      complex
     
     
      and
      many
      questions
     
     
      remain
      unanswered.
     
     
      But
      two
      things
      are
     
     
      for
      sure:
      a
      Philadel-
     
     
      phia
      police
      officer
     
     
      was
      murdered,
      and
     
     
      the
      man
      sentenced
     
     
      to
      death
      for
      the
     
     
      crime
      claims
      he’s
     
     
      innocent.
      And
      an
     
     
      international
      coali-
     
     
      tion
      of
      activists,
     
     
      writers,
      politicians
     
     
      and
      lawyers
      agree
     
     
      with
      the
      man.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Abu-Jamal
      is
      guilty
     
     
      or
      innocent,
      the
     
     
      case
      highlights
      issues
     
     
      of
      systemic
      racism,
     
     
      police
      brutality
      and
     
     
      a
      justice
      system
      with
     
     
      little
      regard
      for
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      underdog.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Still,
      casual
      observ-
     
     
      ers
      can't
      help
      but
     
     
      wonder
      what
      rel-
     
     
      evance
      the
      case
      has
     
     
      to
      activists
      in
      Mon-
     
     
      treal
      -
      where
      the
     
     
      reality
      of
      the
      death
     
     
      penalty
      only
      reso-
     
     
      nates
      through
     
     
      newspaper
      and
     
     
      television
      reports.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      While
      Jamal’s
      case
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      remarkable
      in
      a
      state
     
     
      where
      the
      percent-
     
     
      age
      of
      African
     
     
      American
      men
      on
     
     
      death
      row
      is
      nearly
     
     
      700
      per
      cent
      higher
     
     
      than
      the
      population
     
     
      at
      large.
      The
      ques-
     
     
      tion
      is
      why
      Mumia?
     
     
      And
      why
      in
      Mon-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      treal?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Before
      his
      convic-
     
     
      tion,
      Jamal
      was
      a
     
     
      radio
      journalist
      in
     
     
      Philadelphia,
      known
     
     
      as
      “the
      voice
      of
      the
     
     
      voiceless,”
      for
      his’
     
     
      reports
      on
      police
     
     
      brutality
      and
      sup-
     
     
      port
      for
      minority
     
     
      communities.
      He
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sects
      ing
      majority
      of
      fear
      of
      repercus-
      ioe'S
     
     
      exploitation
      of
      eet
      acne
      page
     
     
      ahha
      Whether
      Mumia
      striking,
      it
      is
      not
      attended
      Godard
     
    
   
   
    
     
      College,
      won
      the
     
     
      Major
      Armstrong
     
     
      Award
      for
      radio
     
     
      journalism
      and
      was
     
     
      named
      one
      of
     
     
      Philadel
      phia’s
     
     
      “peopic
      to
      watch”
      in
     
     
      1981
      by
      Philadel-
     
     
      phia
      magazine.
     
     
      Jamal
      was
      the
     
     
      president
      of
      the
     
     
      Association
      of
      Black
     
     
      Journalists
      and
      had
     
     
      no
      prior
      criminal
     
     
      record.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      December
      1981,
     
     
      while
      moonlighting
     
     
      as
      a
      cab
      driver,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~~
      Continued
      on
     
     
      page
      5