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To: marek_wojna who wrote (86029)	5/29/2002 2:40:28 AM
From: marek_wojna	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116822

Are the shorts so desperate????????? <<Wednesday May 29, 2:03 am Eastern Time Associated Press Workers Forced to Take Off Bracelets Factory Workers From Vietnam Forced to Take Off Jade Bracelets TREXLERTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- Anh Nguyen's mother gave her a jade bracelet when she moved from Vietnam to the United States in 1983. The traditional green jewelry, which has never left her wrist, is believed in Vietnamese and Chinese culture to protect the wearer from evil and illness. ADVERTISEMENT But the charm couldn't help Nguyen earlier this month, when the management at the factory where she works banned jewelry in the workplace, forcing Nguyen to take the bracelets off her wrist. Three other Asian women had to watch as a mechanic used pliers to crack open their bracelets. Plant technician Aziz Yunez said he saw several women crying on May 7, when their bracelets were taken off. "They had grown up with these bracelets," he told The Morning Call of Allentown in Tuesday's editions. "For them, this is a symbol of growing up, not a jewel." Nguyen, 56, and 37 co-workers have sent a letter to the plant's operator, Consolidated Container Co., saying the actions were disrespectful to their cultural heritage. The letter prompted an investigation by Consolidated Container, which makes plastic medical bottles at the plant. Consolidated Container has always had rules banning jewelry in the workplace, said company spokeswoman Joyce Foster. But the rules were not rigidly enforced in this plant until a new regional vice president took over. Still, Yunez said the women were told they could keep their bracelets at employee meetings in the spring. But earlier this month, fliers were hung that informed workers that jewelry must be removed and managers were inspecting women for jewelry Part of the difficulty with the jade bracelets is that they are very tight around the wrist. Phuong Le, Van Phan and Duong Nguyen tried to use soap to get them off, but couldn't. So a mechanic used pliers to get them off. Nguyen took a sick day and three vacation days to decide whether she would work without the bracelet. Finally she broke it off with a steel knife sharpener. Glued together, it now sits on her desk. "I like to look at it and remember what it stands for," Nguyen said. Consolidated has said it will repay the women for their bracelets, which can cost hundreds of dollars. In future, it says it will not help workers take off their jewelry. Nguyen said she considered a lawsuit against the company, but an attorney told her she had no case because the culture doesn't require all women to wear the bracelet.