The New York Times reports that the man behind the claim that crosses and crucifixes are made under
"horrific sweatshop conditions" in China admits that his information is
"sketchy" and "anecdotal."
Charles Kernaghan is the head of the National
Labor Committee (NLC), a well-known organization that has challenged the
working conditions under which companies like GAP have manufactured their
clothes. Kernaghan now claims that crosses and crucifixes being sold at
St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and other outlets are made
under similar unacceptable conditions.
It's one
month before Christmas. Stories of "crosses and crucifixes made in
sweatshops in China" are airing across America. Are Catholic and
Christian retailers getting a bad rap? There's evidence that this might
be the case.
1. A
New York Times report stated, "Mr. Kernaghan acknowledged that
information on the factories was sketchy ... 'This stuff is
all anecdotal,' he said. 'It comes to us from the workers.'"
"Sketchy"? "Anecdotal"? This is
from the guy making the claim? Good grief. I guess the standard of
proof is quite a bit lower if the Catholic Church is involved.
2. In
a Wednesday (11/21/07) interview on the far-left radio/TV show
Democracy Now, Kernaghan admitted he had never been to the
alleged "sweatshop" factory before. Said Kernaghan, "No ... it
just does not work. You're always followed. Anyone seen in contact
with us would have a fast ticket to prison. So we have to keep as
far away as possible."
You mean as far away as New York City,
sir? Sketchy, indeed.
3. In the same interview, Mr. Kernaghan appears on the verge of
referring to Christian retailers as "these religious creatures"
before catching himself in a slip-up. (Follow
this link. Click the video. Watch around 3:52. It's not
in the transcript.)
4. According to
his web site, at
a press conference outside St. Patrick's
Cathedral on Tuesday (11/20/07), Kernaghan held up a crucifix and
said, "This crucifix was made by young women—several just 15 and
16 years of age ..." Yet his organization's own report states
that the factory is employed by "mostly young women, several
appearing to be just 15 or 16 years old." So are the
women
15 and 16, or do they just appear that way? What evidence does
Mr. Kernaghan have? The owner of the factory vehemently
denies hiring anyone under 18. (Read
The Singer Company's reply to all of this.)
5. Also in the same interview, Kernaghan was asked to respond to
the statement from the Association for Christian Retail that
Kernaghan's claims were "unfounded and irresponsible" and that the
organization makes regular trips overseas to "ensure quality control
as well as inspect working conditions." Kernaghan replied that "it's
like asking Jack the Ripper if he respects young women." Meanwhile,
Kernaghan expects the public to accept his word even though
he himself has never been to the factory in question. What's
going on?
6. When asked for a response on Democracy Now that St. Patrick's
cathedral had pulled the crucifixes in question, Kernaghan only
conceded that it was a "good first step." "St. Patrick's Cathedral
and Trinity Church must make those workers whole again," Kernaghan
stated. Really? What about the local Chinese government? The
national Chinese government? The importers of the crucifixes? The
suppliers? In Kerrigan's eyes, the responsibility of making the
workers "whole again" rests with a retailer who was completely
unaware of any alleged mistreatment.
7. Also on Democracy Now, when asked about The Singer Company, one
of the companies that sells the crucifixes, Kernaghan stated, "Well
its one of these Christian retail companies. It has $10 million in
sales, it's not particularly small. When you go to the website, they
display 66 different types of crosses, but they sound like Crazy
Eddie or Wal-Mart saying: 'Go to our website. Look at our
crucifixes and our wall crosses. You'll love our selection and you
will love our prices. We will never be undersold.' It is like,
crucifixes are being trafficked like low-cost things in Wal-Mart. It
is like the bottom is falling out." Well,
here
is the web page that Kernaghan is talking about. You can decide
for yourself if it resembles Crazy Eddie or Wal-Mart.
8. Kernaghan also claimed, "This particular company [the Singer
Company] lied and said they [the crucifixes] were made in Italy."
Well, for what it's worth,
a Google search of the site 'singer-co.com' for "Italy" returns
zero results.
Let's be very clear: Inhumane working conditions anywhere in the
world are simply unacceptable. Companies should have no business with
factories that treat workers savagely. Mr. Kernaghan's aim to have
workers around the world treated properly is worthy and admirable (and
quite in line with Christian beliefs, I might add). But before publicly
excoriating companies and unwitting retailers, there should be an
established level of proof that goes beyond "sketchy" and "anecdotal"
evidence, and Kernaghan's claims about "sweatshop" working conditions
have far too much of this.
In addition, there is a media in this country that's all too willing to air any ol'
story that makes the Catholic Church look bad. (I first heard of this
story on the awful CBS2 in Los Angeles.) For them, it's already
"Mission Accomplished." The story is out, and another hit piece on the Catholic Church has
succeeded.