Hanesbrands will close 9 plants, cut 8,100 jobs

In solidarity,
Joseph Lapp II

-------

Rich Noll, CEO
Hanes Brands, Inc.
1000 East Hanes Mill Rd.
Winston Salem, NC 27105

Mr. Rich Noll:

After taking part in a recent delegation to Haiti sent by the
Industrial Workers of the World, a rank-and-file union representing
workers in a number of nations and a variety of industries, I became
aware of the ongoing struggle of 500 factory workers who lost their
jobs as a result of actions taken by your company. In case you are
unaware of the circumstances, these workers were employed by a company
called CD Apparel which was under direct contract with Hanes Brands,
Inc. In May of 2007 Hanes Brands withdrew its contract from CD
Apparel, forcing its closure, and moving that contract to another
plant in Haiti. While these workers were in time paid their legally
required severance, which is only a tiny amount when Haiti's
inordinately low wages and high cost of living are taken into
consideration, they have not been duly compensated in the same manner
that workers employed under contract by your company in other parts of
the world have been compensated, when in a similar situations.

It is my belief that this amounts to discrimination against the people
of Haiti who deserve far better treatment. Haiti is a nation gripped
by rampant hunger and unimaginable poverty. Rather than corporations
such as yours taking advantage of this terrible situation to increase
their profits on the backs of an already brutalized people, it is
their responsibility to use some of those profits to make life better
for the people they employ. While these workers were not directly
employed by Hanes Brands, it was the decision of your company that
caused them to lose their jobs, and your company should take
responsibility for that fact.

I strongly urge you to look into the facts of this case, to carefully
consider the demands being made by these workers, and give them their
due. It is my intention, and that of the Industrial Workers of the
World, to build bridges of solidarity with the workers of Haiti, and
to aid them in their struggles. We hope that you will live up to your
social contract in this case, if not we will take further action as we
find appropriate.

Sincerely,
Joseph Lapp II

Mr. Richard Knoll, CEO
Hanesbrands Inc.
1000 East Hanes Mill Road
Winston Salem, NC 27105
USA

Date: Friday,Juanary 23,2008

Dear Mr. Knoll:

We write to you as representatives of workers from the CD Apparel factory in Por au Prince, Haiti at sonapi industrial park building # 31. As you know, on May 4, 2007, the Leaders of Hanesbrands ended their contract with CD Apparel S.A without sufficient warning throwing into jeopardy the livelihoods of over 500 workers and their families.The abusing cancellation and illegal closure of CD Apparel’s Plant by the responsibles of Hanes violates Haitian labor law which requires an employer to give workers twelves months for damages without forgetting twenty months that the workers are getting to demand from Hanes “ Compensation and repair” cause, after the brutal closure of CD Apparel on may 4, 2007 the workwers can not work and can not support their families in their socio-economic situation very very difficult.. The workers are also owed their severance pay and benefits for twenty months remain unpaid from may 2007 to date. We request that Hanesbrand work with CD Apparel S.A to reach an agreement that will pay workers their severance and benefit pay include their compensation according to the code of conduct and the international legislation for work demanding Hanes’s responsibles to do it for any Plant in any country as they done it for D.R, PUERTO-RICO, CANADA, MEXICO AND U.S.A, once cancelled their Plant.Note that the CD Apparel’s workers: from May 4, 2007 to date are considered as current employees for Hanes and the contractor or owner of this Plant ,everyday they are standing to CD Apparel’s gate to demand their due.

For close to four years, over 500 workers produced T-shirts for Hanesbrands. During this period, we were commended for the high quality of our work and production levels. As a corporation whose Code of Conduct promotes workers rights, we are dismayed by your corporation’s lack of response to workers in Haiti and its violation of its own principles. Without our high quality work, Hanesbrands would not have remained as profitable as it did for 4 years.It’s for that CD Apparel’s Plant has been in the Caribbean the number one for Hanes about production and quality.

Given the socio- economic reality of Haiti, the illegal closure of CD Apparel, the defiance of Haitian law and the violation of worker rights reflect a direct violation of your Code of Conduct and international labor rights. We request a meeting with you to discuss the severance owed to CD Apparel’s workers and a resolution of the illegal closing.
We look forward to your response and an immediate resolution to this case

Sincerely yours !

From the committee of CD Apparel!!!

CD Apparel’s victims workers
Solidarity Village #29 on Airport Road Entry Haitian Tractor
Zip code HT 6111
Phones:(509)37244149,36326464, 36311411,36367066,36353007.
Email:ouvrierscdapparel600hait i@yahoo.fr
To whom it may concern !
By the presente, we want to attract the attention of the national opinion and international, the representatives of the trade union organizations, the defenders of the human rights, the organizations of women for the respect and the protection of the workers, representative of the democratic party, the representative of the democratic party, the black cocus, the American government and inform all of an improper and mean position that we are liveliness to undergo in Haiti to The people party being part of the middle class haitian and private haitian sector without forgetting verbal threats on our persons through cell phone that they are in the process of utter to our place. We know very clearly that Mr. Frantz J. Pilorge being, owner of Cd Apparel S.a and principal contractor of the company Saralee/ Hanesbrands[Hbi] has, of by his certification of recognition legal obtained from the international organization "WRAP APPAREL" the full permission and guarantee to seize the law and the justice regarding to seal the materials and equipments of Hanesbrands[Inc] regarding to demand "justice and repair" for the 500 employees victims at the time of the improper and nasty cancellation of Cd Apparel S.a by the leaders of Hanes on May 4 2007. This is for that we warn yourself of all eventual maneuver that he would have plotted with the complicity of Mr. Richard Coles, Mr. Andy Jr. Apaid, Jn Paul Faubert and Mr. Sassine against the right of the victims who are claiming : justice and repair for price of the 4 years of misery, of injustice, of exploitation and of discrimination that they returned to the company Hanes [inc]. To the look of the law and justice only Frantz Pilorge [owner and direct contractor] is able and get full access to undertake walk and step with the national and international instances and ask Hanes to pay the employees and to allow the workers to unlock the merchandise of saralee / Hanes .For the direct implication of all other sector in the matter would be qualified flagrant offence[ infraction] which is strictly punished by the law and justice [penal].. Only Frantz pilorge can deliver the secrets of Cd Apparel [his enterprise] and allow all intervention inside of the building # 31. For, the workers understand the game and keep to explain to Mr. Pilorge all bad action in the matter he will be responsible and then the employees will take action against all the complicity !!!
"Justice and respect of the rights of all the workers of the entire world!!!
In this perspective, the Haitian workers need that the President Barak Obama, Mr. Joe Bidden, the senator Hillary Clinton and all the American people to take act of the bad situation of Cd Apparel’s workers after the illegal cancellation of this Plant by the leaders of Hanesbrands INC on May 04, 2007 and demand to them to compensate these employees because the bad closure and illegal cancellation of Cd Apparel’s factory at Sonapi building 31 by Hanes cause several harms on the social and economic life of the workers and jeopardize their own future and their family one. Note that Cd Apparel’s enterprise has been certified by Wrap Apparel to be working for the American company means Hanesbrands [HBI] so that the employees could be compensated at the end of his contract with Hanes. If Richard Noll, Gerald Evans, Lee Chadden and joan Johnson refuse paying Damages to the 500 poor victims of Cd Apparel: That should be a risk against the human rights and the protection of the workers. In sum, the Wrap certification number of Cd Apparel’s Plant is 5382. God bless the workers in the world !
From the committee of CD Apparel!!!

American need to buy only american made products, and if they are not available then they need to make there own. If we can't purchase American made products then we don't need it. Everytime someone purchases something that is NOT American made they are puting amother American out of a job. If this conitnues there will not be any jobs left in America. We need to put our foot down and say it is enough and bring our jobs back to America where they belong.
The government has convinced American companies to send there products overseas to be made at a cheaper wage. The product is made for .29 cents an hour or less, it's shipped here and we pay 29.00 dollars for it, but the government won't raise the minimum wage. They let the gas prises keep soaring and a family can't make it on minimum wage. It's time the American people fight back for what is rightfully theres.
What is up with foreigners opening a business and not having to pay taxes, and why don't they have to pay taxes when they move here. Why do we have to support them. If they live here then they should have to live by our laws also. Get them off welfare, make them work to.
Another thing when they come here they need to speak our language, if we go to their country we have to speak there language. They are not going to change there language for us. It's not going to be a job qualification for them to speak english. How many gas stations do you go into in america and the owner can barely speak english. Try to explain a problem to them and they call the law on you because they think you are going to give them a hard time and your the one that gets in trouble. I've seen that on TV time and time again. The American people need to stop suffering for the mess that the government has put us into, they need to bring our jobs back and put us back to work and get our economy back where it belongs. The crime rate was a lot lower when people were able to work.