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Please help by endorsing NY's leadership in the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium ... to ensure that New York tax dollars are not used to purchase products made in sweatshops.
New York state's apparel purchases are on the order of $40 million a year, according to the Office of the State Comptroller.
Our tax dollars purchase items such as
• uniforms for Department of Corrections guards,
• safety vests for workers on Department of Transportation construction projects
• uniforms, belts and boots for the State Police.
Our government must insist that businesses provide the name and physical address for each cut-and-sew factory in its supply chain and that a distributor could win or lose a contract based on the company's supply chain.
This insistence will start shaping behavior in the global garment industry. New York must stand up for the principle that labor standards matter!
One hundred years after the Triangle factory fire, it is especially important that we find solutions to today's sweatshops. We demand: NOT ONE MORE FIRE.
Mail to:
The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
Here is a sample letter to copy, paste onto your own paper and then modify, adding your name and address. Individually mailed letters are very effective.
You can also copy and paste the message into Gov. Cuomo's email form.
What is the Consortium?
MISSION
The mission of the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium is to end public purchasing from sweatshops and help its members make sweatfree purchases more effectively and less expensively than any single one could accomplish on its own.
PURPOSE
The Consortium’s purpose is to coordinate and represent public officials and others who seek to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not spent on products made in sweatshops. The Consortium serves as a coordinating body and resource center for public entities and other organizations that share this goal by sharing information and providing forums for collaboration in order to improve the economy and efficiency of procurement policies designed to eliminate sweatshop labor from supply chains.
NEW YORK'S ROLE IN THE CONSORTIUM
New York State became a member of the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium in January 2010. Today, Michele Reale of the NY Office of General Services (OGS) serves on the Consortium Board of Directors.
She also chairs a NYS working group that includes representatives of the Executive Chamber, the Department of Labor, OGS and those state agencies that buy more than $1 million of apparel. According to Reale, the group is charged with developing guidelines for state agencies and public authorities to assure that apparel purchased from manufacturers is not made in violation of fair labor standards. The workgroup is carrying out this task by developing a state Affidavit of Compliance and sweatfree Code of Conduct for suppliers. More >
We were part of this extraordinary event. Here's the news release [PDF]
Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Triangle factory fire.
Not One More Fire!
Finding Solutions to Today's Sweatshops
Wed. March 23, 2011 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. Free food!
Featured Speaker: John Liu, New York City Comptroller
Panel: Cutting edge initiatives by industry, government and workers to humanize the global garment industry and promote the local industry.
Runway Show: Showcasing solutions to the global sweatshop, including sweatshop-free uniforms for public employees.
Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC
Great Hall, D Building
NW corner of Seventh Ave. & 27th St. (entrance on 27th)
Flyer to share [PDF]
The event was sponsored by SweatFree Communities, International Labor Rights Forum and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Last Updated:04/29/2011
© Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State
