Alta Gracia Apparel

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Alta Gracia Apparel is a living wage apparel company located in the Dominican Republic. It is currently owned by Donnie Hodge, one of the original Founders who also serves as CEO.

Video Alta Gracia Apparel

History

The Alta Gracia factory opened in 2010 and pays its employees a living wage, as established by the Workers Rights Consortium, for adequate food and shelter, which is about three and a half times the average income of apparel workers in the Dominican Republic. This Living Wage, which is established Independently by the WRC (Worker's Rights Consortium) is set to provide a family of four the basic needs of housing, food, healthcare etc. The factory employs about 150 unionized people who in 2013 make about $3 per hour, or $500 per month. This compares to the average wage in Bangladesh of $40 to $64 per month, according to a May 2013 survey reported by Reuters.

Alta Gracia is located in a former apparel sweatshop, that made baseball caps for Reebok and Nike until 2007. Its owner, BJ+B moved its clothing manufacture operations to Vietnam and Bangladesh where there were lower employment costs.

Offering workers a fair wage came as the result of co-founders Donnie Hodge and Joe Bozich's response to student concerns regarding conditions under which collegiate apparel were produced. The Workers Rights Consortium along with student activist groups like the United Students Against Sweatshops, and James Wilkerson, Director of Trademark Licensing and Stores Operations at Duke University, were early leaders in the movement.

Maps Alta Gracia Apparel

Overview

Alta Gracia makes sweatshirts and T-shirts with college logos which are mainly sold at about 400 college bookstores in the United States and at Barnes and Nobles bookstores. For instance, Alta Gracia's clothing is carried at the bookstores of Duke University, as well as Georgetown University the University of Notre Dame, University of Missouri, and Temple University. the University of Minnesota,

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Fair labor market

Its challenge is to successfully market their apparel that, with the increased wages, is now at the price point of Nike and Adidas clothing. An industry analyst, Andrew Jassin, stated in the New York Times article, "Factory Defies Sweatshop Label, but Can It Thrive?" that "There are consumers who really care and will buy this apparel at a premium price, and then there are those who say they care, but then just want value." He noted that to be successful, the organization would need to skillfully market to buyers interested in "fair trade" practices.

T-shirts made by Alta Gracia are tagged with messages that include an endorsement by the Workers Rights Consortium, pictures of workers, and a message from the workers "Your purchase will change our lives."

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See also

• United Students Against Sweatshops
• Workers Rights Consortium

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References

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Further reading

• Alta Gracia: Union-Made, Living Wage United Students Against Sweatshops.
• William T. Armaline; Davita Silfen Glasberg; Bandana Purkayastha. Human Rights in Our Own Backyard: Injustice and Resistance in the United States. University of Pennsylvania Press; 14 March 2013. ISBN 0-8122-2257-1. p. 20.
• Peter Dreir. Alta Gracia: Showing the World What is Possible. Fair World Project. Fall 2012.
• Peter Dreir. "Is the Perfect Factory Possible?". The Nation. October 19, 2011.
• Shae Garwood; Sky Croeser; Christalla Yakinthou. Lessons for Social Change in the Global Economy: Voices from the Field. Lexington Books; 16 December 2013. ISBN 978-0-7391-8776-0. p. 13-15, 24-28, 175.
• Susan Jackson; Randall Schuler; Steve Werner. Managing Human Resources. Cengage Learning; 16 June 2011. ISBN 1-111-58022-7. Can Knights Apparel Satisfy all of its Stakeholders and Survive?. p. 32-33.
• John M. Klien. Alta Gracia: Branding Decent Work Conditions: Will College Loyalty Embrace "Living Wage" Sweatshirts? Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Georgetown University. August 30, 2010
• Gloria Lloyd. "Alta Gracia model shown as 'viable'". Duke Chronicle. Duke University. February 8, 2012.
• Scott Nova; John M. Kline. Workers' Rights and Labor Compliance in Global Supply Chains: Is a Social Label the Answer?. Routledge; 26 November 2013. ISBN 978-1-135-01289-2. Social Labeling and Supply Chain Reform: The Designated Supplier Program and the Alta Gracia Label. p. 262-281.
• Steve Werner; Randall S. Schuler; Susan E. Jackson. Human Resource Management. South-Western Cengage Learning; 2012. ISBN 978-1-111-82232-3. p. 417.
• Tiffany Westrom. "Students Against Sweatshops appeals for Alta Gracia apparel." Iowa State Daily (online edition). March 8, 2012.
• Jake Jarvis. "Sweatshop Worker Shares Story, Hopes to Inspire." The Daily Athenaeum (online edition). March 1, 2016.
• Sarah Adler-Milstein; John M. Kline. ' 'Sewing Hope: How One Factory Challenges the Apparel Industry's Sweatshops. University of California Press; 2017. ISBN 9780520292925.

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External links

• Official website
• Tejid@s Junt@s: Workers, Students, and the movement for Alta Gracia

Source of article : Wikipedia