Posts by USLEAP

The U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP) advocates for fair U.S. trade policies, demands accountability for corporate labor abuses and violence against trade unionists, and supports worker justice campaigns in Latin America. USLEAP seeks a global economy in which all workers are treated fairly, paid a living wage, and respected by corporations and governments. USLEAP, which was founded in 1987, became an ILRF project in 2013.

Iris Munguía Receives SOLIDAR Silver Rose Award

March 13, 2012

I coordinated our women’s programme for twelve years as a member of the Coordinating Body of Latin American Banana and Agroindustrial Workers Unions (COLSIBA), and worked for two years as the sub coordinator. I was elected as Coordinator in August 2011.

The Impact of My Work

As a result of my work, I have learnt to value myself as a woman and have learnt how analytical, positive, creative and committed we women can be. Women have always been involved in the battle to secure our rights, and yet we have gone unnoticed in history. Therefore, we women who work in the banana industry have lived through the experience of actually making and writing history.

The New Face behind Unionized (and Feminist) Bananas in Latin America

January 24, 2012

Iris for blogI’m sure I don’t speak for myself when I say that Iris is the kind of leader every woman strives to be. Everything about her demeanor says luchadora, yet she emanates so much kindness and wisdom. She’s precise and strategic about her work and how it affects banana and agriculture workers everywhere, especially women workers. She’s a globetrotter unionist and a single mother.

Ethical Consumption: USLEAP Views on Fair Trade, Other Certification Programs, and Consumer Power

September 12, 2007

U.S. consumers have grown more concerned about and aware of the conditions under which the goods they purchase are produced. This increased consciousness has lead to new models of production and consumption and a variety of alternative product labels with respect to environmental issues (e.g. Shade-Grown coffee), health (e.g. Organic bananas), animal treatment (e.g. Free-Range Chickens), and so on. Labels are intended to provide an easy way for consumers to know what products they can buy that reflect their values.

Trade Pressure Used to Support Workers

June 1, 2007

Philips- Van Heusen plant in Guatemala

The first time Guatemala was placed under review (probation) for eligibility of GSP benefits was in 1992 after US/GLEP (before the name changed to USLEAP) and nine other U.S. human rights, trade union and religious groups filed a worker rights petition with the support of the Guatemalan trade union movement. The AFL-CIO also filed a petition.