Milwaukee Tool: STOP Using Chinese Prisoners of Conscience as Slave Labor

Milwaukee Tool: STOP Using Chinese Prisoners of Conscience as Slave Labor

Started
November 2, 2022
Petition to
Milwaukee Tool Group CEO Steven Richman and 3 others
Signatures: 1,226Next Goal: 1,500
Support now

Why this petition matters

Started by Minglei Shi

My name is Mindy, Shi Minglei. I'm the wife of a famous Chinese human rights activist Cheng Yuan, and mother of a 6-year-old. 

I haven't seen my husband for 1200 days. He was arbitrarily detained, tortured and secretly sentenced to prison for his human rights work and is currently in Chishan prison.  He has been denied the right to meet with his lawyers, and communicate with the outside world.

Due to a recent whistleblower, Lee Mingche’s report, I have discovered that my husband, and other prisoners at Chishan, is being exploited as a slave laborer to produce Milwuakee Tool gloves.

My husband Cheng Yuan is the founder of the NGO Changsha Funeng, and a dedicated Chinese human rights advocate.  In the past decade, he has fought for Chinese people’s basic human rights, including education, employment, and health care rights for the 100 million people afflicted by Hepatitis B, HIV carriers, and other disadvantaged groups. He was one of the leading advocates to end China’s one-child policy. He also promoted the United Nations anti-torture convention and other United Nations conventions in China.

His work was fruitful and greatly improved the living conditions for millions of Chinese people. 

When my husband was arrested, my then 3 year-old girl and I were immediately placed under house arrest, and threatened by plain clothes Chinese secret policemen. I was draped under a black hood and handcuffed. The police didn't even allow me to pick up my daughter from preschool, unless I signed a document. The Chinese secret policemen raided our house at night without any notice, and threatened me in front of my little girl. 

1 year later, my daughter’s pre-school was arbitrarily closed because it was a Christian school.

Though I received terrifying threats, I chose to stand up for my husband and risk the possibility of forcible disappearance and prison. I fought for him, spoke publicly, accepted media interviews, and continuously told the truth. 

I was in danger. To protect my daughter, I decided to leave China, and finally arrived in the US last April, 2021. 

Several months ago, prisoners released from Chishan prison, Hunan Province, China, where my husband is being held confirmed that my husband has become a slave laborer, whose work is exploited by Milwaukee Tools Company.

Prisoners in Hunan Chishan prison produced 4800~14,400 units of Milwaukee gloves daily. These gloves are sold throughout the US at major marketplace such as Home Depot.

There are around 2,000 prisoners detained in Chishan prison, many of them prisoners of conscience. Chishan prison owns a company which earns more than $13 million (100 million RMB) in profit each year by producing products for well-known western brands.

Due to a lack of transparency and rule of law in China, it's difficult to obtain additional collaborative proof such as pictures or videos. If former prisoners in China testify to these claims, they face severe retribution from the government. That's why big companies are able to get away with using slaver labor so widely.

Due to the long-term forced labor conditions and lack of protective measures for workers, my husband now has severe back, shoulder and lower back pain. His hair has turned white, and he now weighs less than 110 lb. He has also developed hematochezia. My husband and the other prisoners at Chishan can wait no longer.

Prisoners are subject to the following cruel and inhumane working conditions: 

•       13~15 hours of work per day. 

•       Only 4 days off per year.         

•       Monthly pay: $13.8 (100RMB). This pay is 2% of a Chinese worker’s in a factory, and 0.2% of a worker in the United States.

•       The Quality Control manager, who’s surname is Liu, frequently instructs prison guards to beat prisoners when they do not meet their quota, or when there are quality issues.

•       No protective measures, such as protective masks, are provided. Hazardous materials and harmful air conditions lead to lifelong health issues for the prisoners. 

My heart is broken. I can’t imagine my husband, such a wonderful man, as a slave laborer. Nor can I live with the idea that people in my new home of the US are supporting these brutal and inhumane conditions.  

I am calling on Milwaukee Tools and their CEO Steven Richman to immediately cease production at Chishan prison and recall all products produced there.

I am calling on Home Depot and other retailers that sell Milwaukee Tools’ products to immediately cease sales.

I am calling on US Customs and Border Protection to take measures to ensure that these gloves, produced by slave labor do not enter the United States, as per Art. 307 of the Tarriff Act of 1930.

I am calling on Wisconsin and Milwuakee senators and congressmen to ensure that Milwuakee Tool and other companies in their state are never again allowed to profit off of slave labor.

I am calling for continued pressure to be placed on the Chinese government to release my husband, Cheng Yuan, and all the other prisoners of conscience who have been arbitrarily and unjustly detained.

Please sign today and share to stand to #StopMilwaukeeToolSlaveLabor. 

 

Traditional Chinese Version: 

要求工具行業巨頭 Milwaukee Tools停止使用中國的良心犯作為奴隸勞動力的联署

我叫Mindy,施明磊。我是中國人權工作者程淵的妻子,同時也是一位六歲孩子的母親。

我已經有1200多天沒有見到我的丈夫。他因從事人權工作遭到任意羈押、酷刑和秘密監禁,目前在赤山監獄。他被剝奪了會見律師和與外界交流的權利。

根據今年4月從赤山監獄出獄的李明哲先生和其他釋放的犯人的證詞,我發現我的丈夫和赤山的其他囚犯被剝削為奴工,生產密爾沃基工具手套。

我的丈夫程淵是非政府組織長沙富能的創始人,也是一位熱心的中國人權倡導者。十年來,他為1億名包括B肝、 HIV帶原者等弱勢群體爭取基本人權:如教育權、就業權、醫療權。他是結束中國一胎化政策的主要倡導者之一。他還在中國推動了聯合國反酷刑公約和其他聯合國公約。

他的工作卓有成效,極大地改善了千百萬中國人民的生活條件。

當我丈夫被捕時,我和我當時 3 歲的女兒立即被監視居住,並受到便衣中國秘密警察的威脅。我被戴了黑頭套與手銬。除非我簽署保密協議,否則警察甚至不允許我到幼稚園接我的女兒。中國秘密警察在沒有任何通知的情況下在夜間闖入了我們的房子,並在我年幼的女兒面前威脅我。

一年後,我女兒的幼稚園因為是基督教學校而被警察強行關閉。

儘管我收到了可怕的威脅,但我選擇為丈夫挺身而出,冒著被強迫失踪和入獄的風險。我為他而戰,公開發言,接受媒體採訪,不斷講述事實。

我面臨到危險。為了保護我的女兒,我決定離開中國,最終於 2021 年 4 月抵達美國。

幾個月前,關押我丈夫的中國湖南省赤山監獄釋放的囚犯證實,我丈夫已成為一名奴隸勞工,其工作被密爾沃基工具公司剝削。

湖南赤山监狱的囚犯每天生产约4800~14400双密尔沃基手套。这些手套在美国各地的Home Depot 等门市出售。

赤山監獄關押在押人員約2000人,其中不少是良心犯。赤山監獄擁有一家為西方知名品牌生產產品的公司,每年的利潤超過 1300 萬美元(4 億新台幣)。

由於中國缺乏透明度和法治,很難獲得圖片或影片等額外的協作證據。如果中國的前囚犯證明這些說法,他們將面臨政府的嚴厲報復。這就是為什麼大公司能夠如此廣泛地運用強迫勞動而僥倖脫罪的原因。

由於長期的強迫勞動條件和工人防護措施的缺乏,我丈夫現在有嚴重的背部、肩部和腰部疼痛。他的頭髮變白了,現在體重不到 50公斤(110磅)。他還出現便血。我丈夫和赤山的其他囚犯不能再等了。

囚犯遭受以下殘忍和不人道的工作條件:

  • 每天工作13~15 小時。
  • 每年只有 4 天的休假。
  • 月薪:13.8 美元(100元人民幣,400元新台幣)。這個薪水是工廠中國工人的 2%,美國工人的 0.2%。台灣工人的0.13%
  • 姓劉的品管經理經常指示獄警在犯人未達標或出現質量問題時毆打他們。
  • 沒有提供防護措施,例如防護型口罩。危險材料和有害空氣條件會導致囚犯終生面臨健康問題。

我的心碎了。我無法想像我的丈夫,這麼好的一個人,成為一個奴隸勞工。我也不能接受在美國這片土地上的人們支持這些殘酷和不人道的條件的想法。

我呼籲 Milwaukee Tools 及其首席執行官 Steven Richman 立即停止在赤山監獄的生產,並召回那裡生產的所有產品。

我呼籲Home Depot和其他銷售密爾沃基工具產品的零售商立即停止銷售。

我呼籲美國海關和邊境保護局採取行動,根據1930 年關稅法第 307 條。確保這些由強迫勞動生產的手套不會進入美國。

我呼籲威斯康星州和密爾沃基的參議員和國會議員確保密爾沃基工具和本州的其他公司不再被允許從強迫勞動中獲利。

我呼籲繼續對中國政府施加壓力,以釋放我的丈夫程淵和所有其他被任意和不公正羈押的良心犯。

請今天簽名並分享以支持 #StopMilwaukeeToolSlaveLabor

 

 

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Signatures: 1,226Next Goal: 1,500
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