The reports examine two factories, all of which make toys for American companies. None of these factories has previously been tied to the companies, as none of these companies disclose the production sites for their products. One was the Xin Yi factory in Shenzhen, which produces Mattel's Barbie toys, along with Thomas & Friends toys for the RC 2? Corporation and Wal-Mart. The other was the Hansheng Wood Product factory in Dongguan, where over a million Thomas & Friends toy trains were recalled due to excessive levels of lead paint; the factory was shut down on October 19.

Workers at both factories reported similar conditions and abuse, including: mandatory overtime and work weeks of over 100 hours; being fired or having wages withheld for violations as petty as talking on the job or being 'inattentive'; being denied health treatment, vacation, and weekends; wages far below China's minimum wage; stifling heat at work and in the dorms. Many of those conditions violate Chinese law; in Mattel's case, at least, the Chinese government granted the company waivers, permitting it to break those labor regulations. The Chinese workers who produced the Thomas toys, recalled from the U.S. for lead content in the paint, have never received health treatment for lead exposure.

Speaking today to the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Charles Kernaghan testified that "Corporations say there is no need for laws to protect our children against toxic or sweatshop toys, as they can regulate themselves through voluntary codes of conduct and private monitoring schemes. However, this summer's massive recall of toxic and hazardous toys -- made under abusive sweatshop conditions in China -- clearly demonstrates that corporate self-regulation is not enough. Toxic and sweatshop toys are two sides of the same coin, and need to be regulated by enforceable laws."

Similar conditions were reported by workers at the Guangzhou Vanguard Water Sports Products factory, which manufactures swimming gear and sporting goods for Speedo, their major client, as well as Toys R Us, the giant French retailer Carrefour, and others. NLC also produced a report on Speedo, which is a major sponsor of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The National Labor Committee spent over a year preparing the reports, interviewing workers, and tracking invoices and production slips to determine where toys and parts were produced.

"Toys of Misery 2007" on Mattel, Thomas & Friends at the Xin Yi factory available at: http://www.nlcnet.org/article.php?id=467
"Thomas & Friends Goes to China" on the Hansheng Wood Products factory:

http://www.nlcnet.org/article.php?id=471

"Olympic Sweatshop," on Speedo:

http://www.nlcnet.org/article.php?id=470

Website: http://www.nlcnet.org/