Charles Kernaghan

Charles Kernaghan
Born	1948 Brooklyn, New York
Occupation	Executive Director, Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights
Known for	Anti-Sweatshop movement

Charles Kernaghan (born c. 1948) is the executive director of the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, formerly known as the National Labor Committee in Support of Human and Worker Rights ([1]), currently headquartered in Pittsburgh. He is known for speaking out against sweatshops, corporate greed and the appalling living and working conditions of impoverished workers around the world.

In 1996, he publicly accused Kathie Lee Gifford of being responsible for sweatshop conditions in the manufacturing of her Wal-Mart clothing line. She responded on the air by explaining that she was a celebrity endorser and not involved with hands-on project management in manufacturing plants. Kernaghan alleged during congressional testimony that child laborers in Honduras and New York City were making clothing lines under the names of Gifford and other celebrities. Gifford engaged the White House as well and worked with President Bill Clinton to address the situation.

The coverage of the investigations was so widespread that the media began to refer to it as "the summer of the sweatshop." The investigation affected many companies not targeted in the case, and the president of the American Apparel and Footwear Association has said of the controversy, "We remember that every day and that's a lesson to us, the fact that we don't want that to happen again. As a result of that, you had an industry begin to mobilize itself to make certain that, over time, they produce their products in the most responsible manner to make certain that employees are treated with dignity and respect."

Since then he has given testimonies to the U.S. Congress as well as the United Nations. Kernaghan has travelled to Central America, China, Bangladesh, India, Jordan and other developing countries and has spoken with thousands of workers, from hundreds of workplaces. He has targeted the likes of some of the largest multinationals in the world, including Walmart, Nike, Disney, GAP, Alcoa, Victoria’s Secret, Major League Baseball, the NBA, NFL, Nygård International, Hanesbrands, Target Corporation, Kmart, and many others. Some of the work he has done over the years has caused him some trouble. He is currently persona non grata in El Salvador.

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