SGMA to launch media campaign

In a bid to counter negative reports in the wake of the $1 billion class-action suit against the local apparel industry, the Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association yesterday announced plans to begin work on a documentary that will depict accurate working conditions in the factories.

It will also play up the importance of the sector to the Northern Marianas economy which has managed to withstand the devastating impact of the Asian financial turmoil partly due to the contributions of the garment business, according to officials.

SGMA, which groups the largest garment manufacturers on the island, has hired Curt Worden Group, a production company with offices in New York, Boston and Washington DC, to produce the video that will be used to offset relentless media attacks against the industry in recent months.

Executive Director Richard A. Pierce stressed the need to undertake the project in view of the impact of the lawsuits filed last January in federal courts in California and Saipan alleging “sweatshop conditions” in factories on the island.

SGMA has denied the charges, but garment leaders said some of their buyers in the US have started to pull out their orders due to the increasing pressure.

In a statement, Pierce said the documentary on Saipan’s story is in response to the “calculated and obvious avalanche of negative publicity emanating from the strategic partnerships formed purely for the sake of enhanced success” in the lawsuits.

The video, which will be shot for a week, is also being produced for consumers who want to see where and how their apparel and clothes are manufactured, the garment official added.

“SGMA is very excited about the work this group will begin to undertake. We will be having them reach out to everyone in our community,” Pierce said.

Although some stories which have come out in the leading media organizations in the nation, including the New York Times, are not demeaning, the attacks leveled against the local manufacturers have badly hit the industry.

“(T)his pressure brought about by our opponents has us in the position of defending ourselves, as well as protecting our business and the CNMI’s economy by showing the real situation on Saipan,” he said.

An internationally-recognized media group, Curt Worden has been recommended by Fairchild/Oppel which is a public relations firm based in Dallas and contracted by the garment association.

Pierce called the organization “phenomenal,” citing a diverse list of clients that include award-winning television news programs in such major networks as ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Turner, Discovery, ESPN and Fox, as well as institution like Smithsonian and Harvard University.

“They have a client list so impressive it’ll make ABC’s 20/20 show on Saipan picayune and petty in comparison,” he claimed.

Among documentaries Curt Worden have produced in recent years are “Gulf War: Line in the Sand, Pearl Harbor: Two Hours that changed the World, Apollo, The Making of the Summit, Michael Jordan Special, Depression: Beyond the Darkness and 72 Hours to Victory. (Benhur C. Saladores)