One of my assignments on Wednesday was supposed to be a press conference at a local factory in my area, where 29 workers had previously been fired. I was really troubled to meet some of these immigrant workers demonstrating outside on that chilly afternoon, believing that they “didn’t need union representation” at their factory, so soon after many of their fellow workers were fired by the owners earlier this month. Forty workers filed a petition, citing unsafe and sweatshop conditions, petitioned OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) as many of the workers receive only minimum wage, even after working at the factory for years. They have no health benefits, sick time or vacation time off.
The factory, the nation’s second largest nail-polish bottling plant, is being investigated for various violations. Having been to many of their home countries myself, like Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico, and of course knowing the importance of labor unions & workers’ rights in this country, I am hoping our efforts in the press will do these workers some good. -cg.
Chet Gordon resides in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York. A photojournalist for more than 25 years, he recently worked as Westchester Magazine's first photo editor, and previously was a staff photographer at four NYC metro area newspapers. He was also a photo editor at the NY Daily News for 5 years. His work has appeared in The New York Times, International Herald-Tribune, USA Today, MailOnline (UK), Army Times, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Popular Photography magazines, among others. He is a career member of the National Press Photographer’s Association (NPPA), and a former board member of the NY Press Photographer’s Association (NYPPA). He served honorably as a U.S. Marine in the mid-1980's, including 2+ years stationed on Okinawa, Japan, and throughout Southeast Asia. A longtime volunteer and travel enthusiast, he accompanies several humanitarian aid clients on their international disaster relief and medical missions. Since 1997, he's worked in several African countries, the Middle East, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, as well as Afghanistan, Haiti, the Russian Federation, and Thailand. He routinely mentors young photographers looking to break into the industry and vacations in Bermuda and Kenya.
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