From sweatfreepdx at riseup.net Mon Aug 14 18:36:55 2006 From: sweatfreepdx at riseup.net (Deborah Schwartz) Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:36:55 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sweat-Free-PDX] Meeting Annoucement and Update Message-ID: <3070.sweatfreepdx.1155605815.squirrel@mail.riseup.net> Sweatfree Coalition PDX Update 1. Upcoming Sweatfree Coalition Meeting 2. Event: Former Sweatshop Worker to Speak in Portland 3. Campaign Update 4. Join the National Movement ----- 1) Mark your calendar! Don?t miss the upcoming Sweatfree Coalition Meeting. When: Tuesday, August 22nd Time: 7pm Where: Liberty Hall; for directions see http://www.liberty-hall.org/location.html At the meeting we will follow up on outreach to campaign supporters and dive into the preparations to host former sweatshop worker, Chie Abad, on September 15th. 2) Save this date, too! When: Friday, September 15th Time: 7pm Where: First Unitarian Universalist Church; We are honored to host former sweatshop worker, Chie Abad. Chie worked for many years as a garment worker in Saipan and help lead the sweatfree campaign in San Francisco to pass an ordinance that is universal in scope and provides money for enforcement. She will share her story about her life as sweatshop worker, recount San Francisco?s victorious passage of a sweatfree ordinance, and talk about why it essential for cities like Portland to stop government purchasing from sweatshops. Stay tuned for more information. 3) Campaign Update We?ve been quite busy this past month. Coalition members have been keeping the pressure on our city officials by meeting with them individually. In addition, several coalition members and our team of lawyers participated in a meeting with the staff from all the Councilors? offices, the Mayor?s Office, and the director and staff from the Bureau of Purchases to encourage them to adopt a strong ordinance with teeth. Furthermore, we opened communication between San Francisco officials and their Portland counterparts. Our local representatives heard, ?Yes, it is possible to end government purchasing from sweatshops. We did it. So can you.? Now we need you. Spread the word. Encourage your organization?s allies to endorse the campaign. City official want to know, who are the ?stakeholders? in this campaign? Let?s show them that this is a broad base, community effort. In the past month, many new organizations proclaimed their support of the PDX Sweatfree Campaign. A partial list of our latest endorsers includes: Economic Justice Action Group of the First Unitarian Church Jubilee Oregon Northwest Progressive Community Pacific Green Party, Metro Chapter Sweatfree Communities Witness for Peace NW Welcome to the Portland sweatfree movement! 4) Support the National Sweatfree Movement Does your organization support ending government subsidies of sweatshops? Then consider joining the national movement to support cities (like us) and states to adopt policies against the procurement of sweatshop produced goods. Visit www.sweatfree.org/endorse to endorse the formation of a coalition of states, cities, counties that will hold sweatshop offenders accountable while rewarding fair treatment of workers. -- Deborah Schwartz Coordinator Portland Sweatfree Campaign 503-320-2166 (cell) 503-236-7916 (office)