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My Trip to Bangladesh Continues to Resonate as We Approach Christmas
Last month, I was invited to visit garment factories in Dhaka, Bangladesh with a delegation of New Yorkers that included Tom DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller, and Stuart Appelbaum, the head of the RWDSU (Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.) More than 1,100 workers’ lives were lost in the collapse of Rana Plaza nearly eight months ago, making it the deadliest disaster in the history of the garment industry. In a front-page story published just yesterday in The New York Times, reporter Jim Yardley wrote how “inside the single room he shares with his wife and young child, Hasan Mahmud Forkan does not sleep easily. Some nights he hears the screams of the garment workers he tried…
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Tune in to This Week’s JustLove Show
On this week’s show Monsignor Sullivan speaks with JustLove guest host George Horton about his recent fact finding trip in Bangladesh to learn more about the country’s garment industry. Also on the show is Adam C. English, author of “The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus” who joins the show to talk about the real St. Nicholas. Listen to JustLove on Saturday at 10am EST on SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio on The Catholic Channel 129.
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Bangladesh Fact-Finding Trip to Garment Factories and Business, Labor and Governmental Leaders
I accepted an invitation to accompany the New York State Comptroller, Tom DiNapoli, and the head of the RWDSU (Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union) Stuart Appelbaum to visit garment factories in Bangladesh to learn about the garment industry and in particular, working conditions. The reason is straight forward. The importance of work and the dignity of workers has always been a key element of our Catholic social vision. In today’s economy, goods purchased locally in the United States are made in factories around the globe. I’ve heard it said that our economy is “glocal.” We recall that about six months ago we mourned the tragic loss of the lives…