Cities urged to join 'no sweatshop' resolution

by Marilyn Bechtel

This article was reprinted from the Marilyn Bechtel - issue of the People's Weekly World. For subscription information see below. All rights reserved - may be used with PWW credits.

SAN FRANCISCO - A "No Sweatshop" resolution introduced at the just-completed U.S. Conference of Mayors pledges cities not to buy goods made where there is child labor, forced labor, violations of workers' rights or health and safety violations.

In order to become a reality, the measure needs a lot of help from its friends in the next few months.

The proposal is backed by leaders in the nationwide anti- sweatshop struggle including the UNITE garment workers union and the California-based Sweatshop Watch coalition.

It was introduced to the gathering of over 300 mayors by Ed Boyle, mayor of North Olmstead, Ohio - which last February became the first U.S. city to adopt such a policy.

Since then other Ohio cities have followed suit, and earlier this month San Francisco passed a similar, very strong resolution.

At the mayors' meeting, however, the resolution ended up mired in committee. Some mayors apparently objected to such criteria as banning prison labor, requiring overtime pay after 48 hours and setting 15 years as the cutoff point for child labor.

Backers of the resolution - and reportedly even some Republican mayors - were surprised at the objections.

Lora Jo Foo, president of Sweatshop Watch, told the World the proposal will now go to an interim committee and is expected to come before a followup meeting of the Mayors Conference in Washington, D.C. in January.

Among the cities considering the no-sweatshop policy include New York, Cleveland, Boston; Philadelphia, Allentown, Pa., Flint, Mich. and Austin, Texas.

Foo emphasized that the coming months will be crucial to press for its adoption and to spread the campaign to other cities.

At the same time, Foo urged other institutions such as publicly-owned hospitals, colleges and universities to adopt the no-sweatshop policy, and said students could play a key role in such efforts.

The resolution introduced at the U.S. Conference of Mayors pledges cities not to buy, lease, rent or take on consignment goods for use or resale at city-owned enterprises "which were produced under harsh or sweatshop conditions" and calls for city administrations to "maintain a policy of evaluating suppliers products concerning the working conditions under which the products are manufactured."

It calls on cities to avoid using suppliers who refuse to state that their products are not made under sweatshop conditions.

Earlier this month the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a strong resolution.

Its criteria include a cutoff point of 15 years for child labor, a ban on forced labor including prison labor, and a requirement that a factory pay wages enabling workers to meet "basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, medical care and money set aside for future purchases."

For more information, contact UNITE in your area or Sweatshop Watch, 720 Market St., 5th fl., San Francisco, CA 94102; call (415) 391-1655 or e-mail sweatwatch@igc.apc.org.