Continued
      from
     
     
      page
      4
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      greater
      the
     
     
      salary.
      The
      reality
     
     
      is
      quite
      different.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      is
      difficult
     
     
      to
      calculate
      an
     
     
      hourly
      rate
      because
     
     
      salary
      is
      deter-
     
     
      mined
      by
      each
     
     
      piece
      that
      is
      done,”
     
     
      said
      Ng.
      “Employ-
     
     
      ers
      and
      subcontrac-
     
     
      tors
      employ
      a
     
     
      number
      of
      strate-
     
     
      gies
      to
      keep
      wages
     
     
      low.
      Contractors
     
     
      are
      not
      clear
      on
      the
     
     
      piece
      rate.
      It
      is
      a
     
     
      varied
      industry
      and
     
     
      it
      is
      hard
      to
      gener-
     
     
      alize,
      but
      the
      condi-
     
     
      tions
      applied
      to
      all
     
     
      the
      workers
      are
     
     
      substandard.”
     
    

    
     
      Ng
      tells
      me
     
     
      that
      although
      many
     
     
      of
      the
      women
      know
     
     
      they
      are
      in
      a
      bad
     
     
      situation,
      they
      feel
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that
      they
      have
      few
     
     
      options.
     
    

    
     
      “These
      women
     
     
      know
      very
      well
      that
     
     
      they
      are
      being
     
     
      exploited,”
      she
     
     
      said.
      “But
      the
     
     
      major
      reason
      why
     
     
      these
      women
      work
     
     
      at
      home
      is
      because
     
     
      there
      is
      no
      afford-
     
     
      able
      childcare
     
     
      facility.”
     
    

    
     
      “If
      they
      work,
     
     
      most
      likely
      it
      will
     
     
      be
      a
      minimum
     
     
      wage
      job,
      and
     
     
      childcare
      will
      cost
     
     
      more
      than
      their
     
     
      salary.
      But
      if
      they
     
     
      do
      file
      a
      charge
     
     
      against
      their
      con-
     
     
      tractors
      they
      lose
     
     
      their
      jobs
      at
      home.”
     
    

    
     
      Lack
      of
      legal
     
     
      protection
      is
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      many
      hurdles
     
     
      that
      Canadian
     
     
      homeworkers
      face.
     
    

    
     
      “These
      women
     
     
      have
      no
      protec-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tion,”
      said
      Ng.
      “We
     
     
      don’t
      have
      a
      good
     
     
      system
      in
      which
      the
     
     
      Ministry
      of
      Labour
     
     
      can
      inspect
      and
     
     
      monitor
      the
      work-
     
     
      ing
      conditions
      of
     
     
      factory
      and
      home
     
     
      workers.
      If
      these
     
     
      workers
      will
      union-
     
     
      ize
      then
      the
      union
     
     
      will
      play
      a
      part
      in
     
     
      this
      role
      of
      enforc-
     
     
      ing
      the
      labour
     
     
      laws.”
     
    

    
     
      Unionizing
     
     
      homeworkers
      is
     
     
      one
      of
      the
      many
     
     
      goals
      of
      the
      Union
     
     
      of
      Needletrades,
     
     
      Industrial
      and
     
     
      Textile
      Employees
     
     
      (UNITE).
     
    

    
     
      UNITE
      was
     
     
      formed
      in
      1995
     
     
      through
      the
      merger
     
     
      of
      the
      Amalga-
     
     
      mated
      Clothing
      and
     
     
      Textile
      Workers
     
     
      Union
      and
      the
     
     
      International
      Ladies
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Garment
      Workers
     
     
      Union.
      UNITE
     
     
      represents
      30,000
     
     
      workers
      in
      Canada
     
     
      and
      over
      250,000
     
     
      workers
      interna-
     
     
      tionally.
     
    

    
     
      Barb
     
     
      Anderson,
      a
      co-
     
     
      ordinator
      of
     
     
      UNITE,
      describes
      a
     
     
      number
      of
      strate-
     
     
      gies
      the
      organiza-
     
     
      tion
      is
      using
      to
      act
     
     
      against
      sweatshops
     
     
      at
      home
      and
     
     
      abroad.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      need
      to
     
     
      raise
      the
      public
     
     
      awareness
      of
     
     
      sweatshop
      condi-
     
     
      tions
      in
      Canada
      and
     
     
      globally,
      and
      ask
     
     
      ourselves
      what
      are
     
     
      we
      importing
      into
     
     
      Canada
      and
      what
     
     
      are
      we
      selling?”
      she
     
     
      said.
      “Are
      we
     
     
      condoning
      abuses
     
     
      in
      garment
      and
     
    

    
     
      footwear
      industries
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      Canada
      and
      off-
     
     
      shore
      production?”
     
     
      Last
      May,
      the
     
     
      federal
      government
     
     
      convened
      a
      task
     
     
      force
      and
      appointed
     
     
      former
      Liberal
      MP
     
     
      John
      English
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .
      bring
      together
      civil
     
    
   
   
    
     
      society
      groups
     
     
      along
      with
      retailers
     
     
      and
      manufacturers
     
     
      to
      try
      to
      develop
      a
     
     
      Canadian
      code
      of
     
     
      conduct.
     
    

    
     
      Since
      then,
      the
     
     
      Task
      Force
      has
     
     
      been
      engaged
      in
     
     
      drafting
      a
      code
      that
     
     
      sets
      out
      basic
     
     
      working
      standards
     
    
   
   
    
     
      as
      well
      as
      a
      way
      to
     
     
      monitor
      compli-
     
     
      ance.
     
    

    
     
      “Both
      the
     
     
      government
      and
      the
     
     
      retailers
      have
      a
     
     
      responsibility
      in
     
     
      ensuring
      that
     
     
      seamstresses
      in
      the
     
     
      factory
      and
      in
      the
     
     
      home
      work
      under
     
     
      decent
      conditions,”
     
     
      declared
      Anderson.
     
    

    
     
      Alex
      Dagg,
     
     
      manager
      of
      UNITE,
     
     
      explains
      how
     
     
      homeworkers’
     
     
      rights
      are
      routinely
     
     
      being
      violated.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      are
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Continued
      on
     
    
   
   
    
     
      age
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ee
      OS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Continued
      from
     
     
      page
      4
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Jamal
      happened
      on
     
     
      an
      altercation
     
     
      between
      his
      brother
     
     
      and
      a
      police
      officer.
     
     
      Shots
      were
      fired
      and
     
     
      officer
      Daniel
     
     
      Faulkner
      was
      killed.
     
     
      Jamal
      was
      also
      shot.
     
     
      The
      rest
      of
      the
     
     
      details
      of
      the
      case
     
     
      are
      hazy,
      depending
     
     
      on
      the
      interpreta-
     
     
      tion.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Over
      the
      last
      17
     
     
      years
      witnesses
      have
     
     
      changed
      their
     
     
      testimony
      and
     
     
      inconsistencies
      in
     
     
      the
      evidence
      have
     
    
   
   
    
     
      been
      challenged
      and
     
     
      debated.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Jamal’s
      supporters
     
     
      argue
      that
      his
     
     
      conviction
      had
     
     
      political
      intentions.
     
     
      They
      point
      to
      the
     
     
      fact
      that
      the
      FBI
     
     
      began
      amassing
      a
     
     
      600-page
      file
      on
     
     
      him
      when
      he
      was
      a
     
     
      15-year-old
      high
     
     
      school
      student
      and
      a
     
     
      founding
      member
     
     
      of
      the
      Black
      Panther
     
     
      Party.
      They
      say
      his
     
     
      political
      affiliations
     
     
      and
      criticism
      of
      the
     
     
      police
      force
      turned
     
     
      the
      state
      authorities
     
    
   
   
    
     
      against
      him.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Maureen
      Faulkner,
     
     
      the
      slain
      officer’s
     
     
      wife,
      believes
      Jamal
     
     
      is
      guilty
      and
      wants
     
     
      to
      see
      him
      die.
     
     
      Disturbed
      by
      the
     
     
      Free
      Mumia
      Move-
     
     
      ment,
      she
      has
      been
     
     
      actively
      campaign-
     
     
      ing
      against
      Jamal.
     
     
      The
      Fraternal
      Order
     
     
      of
      Police
      in
      Phila-
     
     
      delphia
      rallied
     
     
      support
      around
     
     
      Faulkner,
      launching
     
     
      a
      media
      campaign
     
     
      to
      assert
      Jamal’s
     
    
   
   
    
     
      guilt.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “(Jamal’s
      lawyer]
      has
     
     
      duped
      the
      world
     
     
      into
      believing
      that
     
     
      this
      man
      is
      a
      politi-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cal
      prisoner
      and
      is
     
     
      innocent
      of
      the
     
     
      crime
      charged
      when
     
     
      that
      is
      not
      the
      case,”
     
     
      said
      Faulkner
      in
      a
     
     
      recent
      television
     
     
      interview.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Still,
      there
      is
      no
     
     
      mistaking
      Jamal’s
     
     
      celebrity
      status.
      A
     
     
      trained
      broadcaster
     
     
      with
      a
      silky
      smooth
     
     
      voice,
      he
      produced
      a
     
     
      series
      of
      radio
     
     
      commentaries
      from
     
     
      his
      cell,
      bringing
     
     
      international
      atten-
     
     
      tion
      to
      his
      case
      and
     
     
      mobilizing
      the
     
     
      American
      move-
     
     
      ment
      against
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      death
      penalty.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Among
      his
      many
     
     
      honours,
      Jamal
      was
     
     
      awarded
      an
     
     
      honourary
      law
     
     
      degree
      from
      the
     
     
      New
      School
      of
      Law
     
     
      in
      San
      Francisco,
     
     
      California,
      voted
     
     
      honourary
      vice-
     
     
      president
      of
      the
     
     
      5,000
      member
     
     
      National
      Lawyer's
     
     
      Guild
      and
      named
      an
     
     
      honourary
      citizen
      of
     
     
      Copenhagen,
      Den-
     
     
      mark,
      and
      Palermo,
     
     
      Italy.
     
    

    
     
      Jamal
      has
      such
     
     
      celebrity
      backers
      as
     
     
      Whoopi
      Goldberg,
     
     
      Harry
      Belafonte,
      Ed
     
     
      Asner,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Alec
      Baldwin,
     
    

    
     
      Noam
      Chomsky,
     
     
      Bell
      hooks,
      Spike
     
     
      Lee
      and
      Michael
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Moore.
     
    

    
     
      Pierre
      Sane,
      secre-
     
     
      tary
      general
      of
     
     
      Amnesty
      Interna-
     
     
      tional,
      visited
      Jamal
     
     
      in
      1997.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      He
      ex-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~~
      Continued
      on
     
     
      page
      7