Transnational corporations have budgets bigger than countries, what can consumers do?
Why not try a consumer class action suit. Sweatshop Watch reports that on January 13-14, 1999, three separate lawsuits were filed challenging the unlawful sweatshop conditions in the Saipan, CNMI garment industry. This first case, was filed in San Francisco state court, was brought by Global Exchange, Sweatshop Watch, UNITE, and the Asian Law Caucus against 18 U.S. garment retailers – including such companies as The Gap, Inc., Target Corp., J.C. Penney, Lane Bryant, and The Limited. Plaintiffs charged that all of the defendant companies engaged in unfair business practices (a violation of California Business and Professions Code 17200) by advertising their garments as being “Sweatshop Free,” by violating the federal law prohibiting the shipment of “hot goods” in interstate commerce, by aiding and abetting their Saipan garment factories’ violations of the laws against involuntary servitude, and by other misleading labeling and advertising practices. The case was assigned to San Francisc
