Will J.C. Penney become a target for anti-sweatshop protests?
As word of the suits circulates, even Dallas activists are talking about possible Penney pickets. But it’s more likely that fellow settlement hold-out The Gap, with 3,000 stores worldwide, will reap the most attention. The trendy chain is becoming this year’s chic protest target; activists protesting the World Trade Organization in Seattle set a pair of Gap pants on fire outside a Gap store. The chain, which points to rising sales as proof that the protests haven’t had any effect, also has more memorable slogans to mock than Penney’s. For example, ubiquitous Gap ads call for “Everyone in Cords!” or “Everyone in Khakis!” The snappy “Everyone in Sweatshops!” may prove more appropriate.
