DESIGN SOME BEAUTIFUL PRINT TO BE PRINTED ON FAIR TRADE SHIRTS. YOU GET PAID, THE WORKERS GET PAID FAIRLY, EVERYONE WINS. PLEASE READ ON TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FAIR TRADE CO-OPERATIVE OF SINGLE MOTHERS IN EL SALVADOR, AND HOW YOU CAN BOLSTER THEIR INITIATIVE.

Punchclock Printshop is working to expand a line of fair trade clothing designs with Just Shirts - a fair trade clothing line that buys its shirts from the Co-operative of Single Mothers in El Salvador. The Co-operative consists of eight women, all single mothers who formerly worked in El Salvador's Maquila or sweatshop industry, who now sew shirts for a fair wage. In addition to being paid properly, the women are offered health benefits and literacy classes and enjoy greatly improved working conditions geared towards the needs of themselves and their families. A more in depth look at the Co-operative can be found below....

Throughout the summer, the women were hired to make 40,000 shirts by the Canadian Federation of Students. The order allowed them to expand their operation and break free of having to rely on the sweatshops for work. In order to keep the demand for shirts up, and thus provide steady work for the co-op, Punchclock is initiating a design competition.

We're looking for YOU to submit original t-shirt designs to be silk screened on Just Shirts merch. There is no required subject matter- they can be simple or complex, geared to whoever you choose (except the Emperor) – they just have to be original designs that people will want to wear.

Designs must be:

-Original
-Screen printable
-Require only four colors or screens

Contest Details:

Contest opens: October 20th-
Closes: NEVER!

THIS IS a rolling competition!

Send your design either digitally or in hard copy

Digital entries:
-must be in .pdf, .psd, .jpeg or .ai form
-send to: punchclock.printing@gmail.com with the subject line "fair trade design."
- include your full name, address, phone number and e-mail address

Hard Copy entries:
You won't get this back, so it can be a photocopy.
- include your full name, address, phone number and e-mail address

Mail to:
Punchclock Printing
658 Gladstone Ave., Toronto, ON. M6H 3J4

Compensation:
Designs that are chosen will be printed on fair trade clothing and sold at fairs, on-line and at stores all over Canada. In compensation for your design, you will receive royalty cheques at a rate of $1/shirt for every one printed – this could be anywhere from 60 to 500 dollars. And of course your own free shirt with your design printed on it. You will also be asked to submit a write up for the back of the tag of the shirts, so that every one who buys your design can learn about who you are.

You will be sent a notice of receipt when we receive your image.

Don't worry: We will not use your design without contacting you and getting your consent.

BACKROUND INFO

The Single Mothers Co-operative, or Cooperativa de Madres Solteras, is part of a growing opposition to the sweatshop economies of Central America. As a worker co-op they aim to empower and provide meaningful, sustainable employment to those most adversely affected by sweatshop labours.

The Co-operativa was founded in early 2006, as a partnership between Canadian social justice activists from the University of Calgary and Salvadorian single mothers who left the maquilas (sweatshops) of San Salvador to produce apparel for the Canadian market from their modest homes.

The women collectively own their company, make their own decisions, and are entirely responsible for their achievements. They've drastically decreased their working hours but have increased their daily wages by about 50%. They've also gained participatory rights and are employed in a profit sharing scheme which enables them to further increase their salaries. Of particular importance to the women is their ability to work from their own homes, meaning they avoid a 2 hour daily commute and high public transit costs, while being able to adequately look after their children, whose futures were in danger due to gang recruitment and street violence.

www.justshirts.ca

Punchclock is a trans-disciplinary democratic organization of cultural workers, political activists and trades people operating out of and around two hives functioning as collective metal and screen printing studios. Our mandates are economic sustainability and artistic direct action.

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