From sweatfreepdx at riseup.net Wed Sep 13 13:45:02 2006 From: sweatfreepdx at riseup.net (Deborah Schwartz) Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 17:45:02 -0300 Subject: [Sweat-Free-PDX] Reminder: Sweatfree Kick-Off Event Message-ID: <291882330609131345h7fcb1e22x2afe1adac161266d@mail.gmail.com> Reminder: The Sweatfree Campaign kick-off event is on Friday. It is important to show public support for strong labor standards on city contracts. Hope to see you there! NO SWEAT, PORTLAND! No taxpayer dollars for sweatshops. When : Friday, September 15, 2006 Time: 7pm Where: First Unitarian Church (1011 SW 12th Ave) (Free childcare provided.) A coalition of over 25 different labor, community, faith, and student organizations is asking City Hall to support strong labor standards, not sweatshops. The proposed sweatfree ordinance would require city contractors, subcontractors and vendors to respect workers' right to organize, and commit to anti-discrimination and fair labor practices in exchange for public contracts. Guest Speaker Chie Abad is a former sweatshop worker from Saipan who led organizing drives in the factory where she produced clothing for the Gap and other retail suppliers. She was instrumental in forcing 26 major retailers to settle a lawsuit in 2002 to improve conditions in Saipan and was a leader in campaign for San Francisco to adopt one of the strongest sweatfree ordinances in the nation. Will Portland be next?*It can happen here.* Come to this important sweatfree kick-off event. Co-Sponsors Include: Portland Sweatfree Coalition, PCASC, Economic Justice Action Group of the First Unitarian Church, and KBOO (90.7 FM) Campaign Endorsers Include: Ainsworth United Church of Christ, AFSC-Portland,Alliance for Democracy, AFSCME Local 189, AFSCME Local 328, Center for Intercultural Organizing, CWA Local 7901, Eastside Democratic Club, Economic Justice Action Group of the First Unitarian Church, Global Exchange, ILWU Local 5, Jubilee Oregon, Lewis & Clark College SDS, Living Earth, Metanoia Peace Community United Methodist Church, NALC Local 82, Northwest Progressive Community, Oregon Fair Trade Campaign (ORFTC), Pacific Green Party, Metro Chapter, PCASC/CBLOC, Portland Jobs with Justice, Portland Peaceful Response Coalition, PSU Progressive Student Union, Reed College SDS, SweatFree Communities, VOZ Worker Education Project, Witness for Peace NW, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.enabled.com/pipermail/sweat-free-pdx/attachments/20060913/df9e53f7/attachment.htm From margot.kniffin at gmail.com Thu Sep 21 15:45:13 2006 From: margot.kniffin at gmail.com (Margot Kniffin) Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 15:45:13 -0700 Subject: [Sweat-Free-PDX] Please add me to the list... Message-ID: Thaks so much, Margot -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.enabled.com/pipermail/sweat-free-pdx/attachments/20060921/eb4a6bd8/attachment.htm From sweatfreepdx at riseup.net Thu Sep 28 16:42:11 2006 From: sweatfreepdx at riseup.net (Deborah Schwartz) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 16:42:11 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sweat-Free-PDX] Coalition Meeting and Action Alert Message-ID: <4083.sweatfreepdx.1159486931.squirrel@mail.riseup.net> Sweatfree PDX Update: 1) Next Sweatfree Coalition Meeting 2) Action Alert: Call your Commissioners and Mayor 3) National Movement Update 1) Attend an important Sweatfree PDX coalition meeting. Tuesday, October 3rd 6pm Liberty Hall, 311 N. Ivy St. For directions see: http://www.liberty-hall.org/location.html Call 503-236-7916 or email sweatfreepdx at riseup.net for more information. 2) Action Alert: Call your Commissioners and Mayor and tell them that you support strong labor standards on city contacts. Staff at City Hall tells us that they want to hear from you. Your call makes a difference. As responsible community members, we ask our local policy makers to support a strong sweatfree ordinance: *No taxpayer dollars for sweatshops. *Make good intentions good results: fund labor standards, not sweatshops. *Support staffing and independent monitoring to make Portland a leader in ethical purchasing. Commissioner Sam Adams: (503) 823-3008 Commissioner Dan Saltzman: (503) 823-4151 Commissioner Erik Sten: (503) 823-3589 Commissioner Randy Leonard: (503) 823-4682 Mayor Tom Potter: (503) 823-4799 3) National Movement Update Governor Rendell Joins National Anti-Sweatshop Initiative Three Governors Take Lead in Coalition to End Tax Subsidies of Sweatshops Rendell's Action Responsive to, Lauded by Diverse Coalition September 16 - Today Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell announced that he is joining a path-breaking governors' initiative to end sweatshop exploitation in apparel and other industries. Proposed by Governor John E. Baldacci of Maine, the Governors' Coalition for Sweatfree Procurement and Workers' Rights will use state government procurement as a catalyst to level the playing field for ethical businesses and advance justice for sweatshop workers. Deputy Secretary for Workforce Development Sandi Vito made the announcement at an anti-sweatshop educational event in Harrisburg, hosted by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. "We must not encourage companies that use sweatshops by doing business with them," Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell said. "If companies know they will lose money by continuing to employ this industrial-age practice, they will stop. Businesses can still make money by treating their employees fairly." "There's power in numbers," added Governor John E. Baldacci. "If we team up with other states we'll have even more influence in the global marketplace. Workers around the world deserve any influence or leverage we can bring to the table." Governor Rendell's announcement follows last week's news that New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine also will participate in the Coalition. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maine all have made previous commitments to sweatshop-free procurement through legislation that includes a code of conduct requiring state contractors and subcontractors of apparel and other products to adhere to basic international fair labor standards. Other public entities with similar legislation include the states of California, Illinois, and New York, and over 60 cities, counties, and school districts. By acting together, states and other public entities can increase resources for investigating sweatshop conditions and coordinate enforcement of sweatfree procurement policies. According to SweatFree Communities, a worker rights organization that coordinates a nationwide campaign for a State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium, five U.S. cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, have also expressed interest in collaborating with other public entities to enforce sweatfree procurement legislation. Governor Rendell's announcement drew praise from a wide range of worker rights advocates and businesses, including garment workers' unions, public sector unions, civil rights organizations, student groups, and apparel contractors that had requested Governor Rendell to join the Coalition. "The sewing machine operators, pressers, and cutters who work in the Pennsylvania garment industry applaud Governor Rendell's continued support of sweat-free procurement." said Gail Meyer Vice President of Pennsylvania Joint Board UNITE HERE. "We are looking forward to working closely with the Governor in this new Coalition." "This is about exporting Pennsylvania's high standards for workers' rights throughout the global economy and creating a fair playing field that starts with respect for the human rights of workers everywhere," said Celeste Taylor, Pittsburgh Anti- Sweatshop Community Alliance's representative to the SweatFree Communities Board and a member of the Black Political Empowerment Project's Planning Council. "This is an extension of the historic role of Pennsylvania's Abolitionist and Labor Union movements. The Governor takes a profound step forward by doing what is necessary to strictly enforce the 2004 Anti-Sweatshop Executive Order and offering to collaborate with other governmental jurisdictions to do so." More information about the campaign for a State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium is available at: http://www.sweatfree.org/sweatfreeconsortium -- Deborah Schwartz Portland Sweatfree Campaign 503-236-7916 (office)