On June 27, union leaders protesting contaminated drinking water and the refusal to negotiate with the union at SAE-A Technotex in Nicaragua were fired by management and forcibly taken out of the factory by riot police.

When workers join together to demand fair working conditions, Adidas contract factories seem to have a standard response: Fire the workers, blacklist them so they can't find jobs elsewhere, and threaten the rest of the workers that the same will happen to whoever else dares to organize. Despite clearly violating Adidas' Workplace Standards and local labor laws, this has happened over and over and over again.

But in past weeks, workers at three different Adidas contractors have won decisive victories over this cynical roadblock to workers' rights. At Textiles Opico in El Salvador, Joe Anne Dominicana in the Dominican Republic, and Troon Manufacturing in Nicaragua, workers won their jobs back after being fired for organizing.

Dear supporter,

As chair of the coordinating committee of the International Union League for Brand Responsibility, I am thrilled to take this moment to share some important updates with our friends and allies. In the past three months, your moral and economic support has strengthened garment workers across the globe as we launch an effort without precedent and that we believe is our best hope for ending sweatshop exploitation.

We hope to provide an update to you quarterly, along with occasional urgent news and requests for action. Please do not hesitate to contact our coordinating committee at [email protected]

Today, workers producing clothing for Montreal-based Gildan Activewear took action in Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic to protest labor abuses. The activities kicked off a new regional coordination between these workers, called the Gildan Union Network.

See a press release below after the slideshow of photos from today's action.