Protests support Nicaraguan workers

Following well-attended protests in five Minnesota cities, demonstrators will continue the ‘holiday season of conscience’ with rallies Dec. 2 and 9 at Kohl’s department stores.

Kohl’s has been the focal point of protests because it sells clothing produced at a sweatshop in Nicaragua, said Larry Weiss, coordinator of the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition. When workers at the factory tried to improve their wages and working conditions by forming a union, more than 200 were fired.

The Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition coordinated five actions at Kohl’s stores in Minnesota on Friday, Nov. 24, the “biggest shopping day of the year.” Actions were held at one store each in Duluth, St. Cloud, and Rochester, and at two stores simultaneously in the Twin Cities metro area. Participants in all actions used the same signs and flyers.

Events are planned Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Southtown Kohl’s, and Saturday, Dec. 9, at Kohl’s stores in Woodbury, Duluth and Rochester.

On Nov. 24, 30 protesters held signs and gave flyers to shoppers at the Kohl’s Southtown store in Bloomington, Weiss said. ‘We also had a couple of giant puppets conveying our message. . . We stayed for about an hour and were covered by one TV station .’

Some 40 protesters held up signs at the Roseville store, while smaller groups handed out leaflets at Kohl’s stores in St. Cloud, Duluth and Rochester.

For more information on the struggle in Nicaragua, visit the National Labor Committee’s website: http://www.nlcnet.org/

Also, listen to the workers themselves, speaking during a recent visit to Minnesota.

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