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An update on sweatshop-free purchasing in New York state

Brian O'Shaughnessy and Sara Niccoli have had May and June meetings with the Governor’s staff about implementing New York State’s full participation in the national Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium.  (Go to www.buysweatfree.org for information about this Consortium.)  Brian says he is optimistic that in the near future, a NYS Sweatfree Code of Conduct and Affidavit of Compliance will be approved.  After this, vendors who wish to bid on a footwear or apparel contract with any NYS agency would have to agree to meet the human and worker rights’ standards that are applicable to manufacturers and factories and sub-contractors anywhere in the world. 

Make New York Sweatshop-free

During the 2011 40-hour FAST the Labor Religion Coalition brought attention to present-day sweatshops that are the norm in the global factory. We invited participants to contact Governor Cuomo, encouraging his leadership in the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium, a vehicle now in place that can make sure that uniforms and garments purchased by tax dollars are not made in sweatshops.

Also during the Fast, we launched Make NY Sweatshop-free, a campaign that aims to persuade both New York State and the City of New York to buy only uniforms and other apparel for public employees that are made in good working conditions. Here's our news release from an event at the Fashion Institute of Technology: Not One More Fire: Finding Solutions to Today's Sweatshops. The national organization SweatFree Communities is a campaign partner.

Sign a petition to Governor Cuomo here.
Sign a petition to Mayor Bloomberg and the New York City Council here.

Walmart: Stand up against torture of labor leaders

When Bangladeshi workers staged protests demanding a liveable wage, factory owners responsded with fabricated criminal charges against three labor leaders from the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity—Kalpona Akter, Babul Akhter, and Aminul Islam. These three peaceful labor advocates spent 30 days in jail, where they were threatened and tortured. They are now free on bail; however, the falsified charges against them remain, brought on in part by a Walmart subcontractor. These charges include the possibility of lifetime imprisonment or even the death penalty. Several of us at the Labor-Religion Coalition have met Kalpona and Babul. Most recently they spoke at events related to the centennial of the Triangle factory fire.

As the largest buyer of Bangledeshi garments, Walmart must ensure Bangladeshi garment workers do not need to fear retaliation for speaking up for their rights. Click here to send a message to Walmart. Read more>

Kalpona Akter, labor rights activist, arrested in Bangladesh
Member of the SweatFree Communities Speaking Tour in April, was one of 21 seized by police on August 13, 2010 following protests against 21¢ per hour minimum wage

Anne Kelly, the Coalition's Fair Trade Coordinator shared a meal with Kalpona Akter earlier this year. Former Sweatshop-free Coordinator Jordan Wells traveled with the speaking tour. Read Anne's note about what we can do.

Updates on NY and the Sweatfree Purchaising Consortium, Sweatfree SUNY and the labor rights victory in Honduras
From the May 2010 issue of Justicing and E-Justicing:

• "NY's decision to join the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium a giant step towards lessening worker abuse"

• "So far, system-wide sweatshop-free purchasing for SUNY schools is only on paper"

• " Sweatshop-free policies change lives"

Rev. Billy, students, LRC's Sweatshop-free Campaign call for SUNY schools to end ties with sweatshops
The time to implement and enforce sweatshop-free standards for university apparel suppliers is NOW, said groups rallying outside SUNY headquarters on Dec. 18. They were joined by performing artist Rev. Billy of the Church of Life After Shopping. Although the SUNY Chancellor was authorized by the Board of Trustees in June 2009 to issue guidelines for implementation of a sweatfree purchasing policy for the 64-campus system, only four SUNY schools have joined the Worker Rights Consortium. The WRC independently monitors working conditions at factories where logo-bearing apparel is made. Click here for TV video coverage of the rally from WTEN News, the ABC affiliate in Albany plus a photo in Schenectady's Daily Gazette and the Albany Times Union.

New York's role in the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium is a "game-changer"
The New York State Department of Labor officially announced New York's membership in the consortium that will implement and enforce sweatshop-free standards for apparel suppliers to state and local governments.

The Governor made the announcement on Human Rights Day, a day designated by the United Nations to promote universal dignity and justice for all the worlds's citizens. New York joins Maine and Pennsylvania, as well as the cities of Ashland, Ore., Austin, Tex., Milwaukee, Wisc., Portland, Ore. and San Francisco. Together, these entities procure over $50 million in apparel annually including garments, uniforms, textiles and footwear.

See "New York's decision to join the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium a giant step towards lessening worker abuse," from the May 2010 Justicing, "NY takes stand against sweatshops," [PDF] in the Legislative Gazette, Dec. 21, 2009, the LRC news release and the New York State Department of Labor announcement.

Governor Paterson announces NYS affiliation with the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium
In a Nov. 5, 2009 letter to the director of SweatFree Communities, Gov. David A. Paterson has committed New York state to participation in the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium, a national organization that assists member governments in meeting their goals for responsible sweatshop-free purchasing.

The Governor has asked the Commissioners of Labor and General Services to develop a set of guidelines for apparel-purchasing agencies and participate with other member governments in Consortium decision-making.

"It is vital that states and local governments do their part to prevent a 'race to the bottom,' in which governments procure cheap merchandise on the backs of laborers toiling in sweatshop conditions," said Paterson. MORE

Sweatshop-free policies change lives

Honduran workers at RussellAthletic and their union reached an agreement in November 2009 with vital support from the anti-sweatshop movement, especially United Students Against Sweatshops. See photos and an article in the May 2010 E-Justicing.

Subsidizing Sweatshops II documents continuing violations in government supplier facilities

Governments, including many in NY state, continue to purchase goods from companies engaged in serious human and labor rights violations according to Subsidizing Sweatshops II released on April 15, 2009 by SweatFree Communities. The LRC was one of the founding organizations of SweatFree Communities.

NY's Office for General Services Commissioner John C. Egan notified 12 companies named in the report that they will be expected to remedy the sweatshop conditions found in their supplier factories, rather than "cut and run," washing their hands of the sweatshop problems.

"OGS's grounds for concern are obvious, said LRC Sweatfree Coordinator, Jordan Wells. "What is not clear is on what ground they stand. New York needs clear, codified expectations of sweatfree working conditions in our supplier factories. We also need to join with others in the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium to better leverage compliance with these expectations."

In addition, the report documents positive actions taken in response to Subsidizing Sweatshops I, issued in July 2008. For more, see "State labor pressure helps Honduran workers" in Schenectady's Daily Gazette.

UAlbany rally backs sweatshop-free SUNY

The University at Albany is sweatshop-free. But it's one of only four SUNY campuses in the 64-school system that has discontinued the production of school apparel in sweatshops, according to a group comprised of local labor leaders, activists and lawmakers. Sweatshop workers are subjected to a grueling schedule in substandard conditions for minimal pay. Read more from the April 9, 2009 Times Union's Campus Notebook (PDF) . Click here for the rally news release (PDF) from the office of Assemblyman Rivera. For background and more about the Ethical Business Conduct in Higher Education Act, click here.

Report links Wal-Mart's school uniforms to Bangladesh sweatshops

NYSUT and the state Labor-Religion Coalition are sounding the alarm over a recent report that links a popular school- uniform clothing line sold at Wal-Mart to a Bangladeshi factory that forces its workers to labor in extreme sweatshop conditions. More from New York Teacher, Dec. 4, 2008

Published by SweatFree Communities, the Sweatshop Solutions? report is both an account of a particularly abusive factory and Wal-Mart's response to the findings. It raises questions about Wal-Mart's factory auditing system that appears to be failing workers and about the company's responsibility in one of the poorest countries in the world. Click here to view the entire report.

Ithaca (NY) Journal: City urged to join anti-sweatshop coalition

The City of Ithaca should ensure that its employees' uniforms aren't coming from sweatshops, a group of Cornell students say. Cornell Students Against Sweatshops and the Cornell Organization for Labor Action (COLA) are petitioning Ithaca's Common Council to join a coalition of municipalities across the country that have pledged to ensure that public tax dollars are not being spent to support factories that exploit and endanger workers. Read the full article published on October 24, 2008 followed by a clarification from SweatFree Communities.

NYS Dept. of Labor: Sweatshop-free provisions fell short of their original intent

In a report sent to Governor Paterson on Sept. 15, Labor Commissioner Patricia Smith recommends that the State "develop improved policies and mechanisms to ensure that apparel and textiles purchased by state entities are manufactured under "sweatfree" conditions; i.e. in compliance with all applicable labor laws." Commissioner's letter PDF Full report (22 pgs. PDF)

LRC News Release, September 22, 2008, "Department of Labor report opens door to stronger sweatshop-free action by New York State"

New York Daily News article about the report

Sunday, August 31, 2008, Daily Gazette, Schenectady, NY
Renew apparel laws, state urged
Groups fight sweatshops
By Sara Foss

With the state's sweatshop-free purchasing laws set to expire on Monday, the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition is pushing New York to join a national movement that seeks to end the public purchasing of clothing made in sweatshops.

The proposed state and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium would enable states, cities and counties to pool their resources and coordinate monitoring and enforcement activities that would be tough to handle on their own. Click here for full article.

"Subsidizing Sweatshops" report demonstrates need for collaboration in sweatfree public purchasing

New York state tax dollars fund sweatshops according to a study released July 1, 2008. New York's existing sweatshop-free purchasing laws expired September 1, and have failed to achieve their intended effect, as evidenced by the report.

New York and other U.S. states, cities, and counties are inadvertently using millions of taxpayer dollars to purchase goods from companies engaged in serious human rights and labor violations, according to a first-of-its-kind report released by SweatFree Communities. The study, "Subsidizing Sweatshops: How Our Tax Dollars Fund the Race to the Bottom, and What Cities and States Can Do," includes in-depth case studies of 12 factories in nine countries that produce public employee apparel for nine major brands.

The Sweatfree Consortium will help New York and other states and cities to accomplish the goal of ending public purchasing from sweatshops by investigating factory working conditions and creating a market for “sweatfree” suppliers. Absent requirements that New York apparel be produced sweatshop-free and without a system for monitoring compliance with sweatfree specifications, vendors and their suppliers have operated below the radar, resulting in abuse and exploitation.

While no individual state has adequate resources to monitor working conditions, nor enough leverage to hold its suppliers accountable, according to Labor-Religion Executive Director Brian O’Shaughnessy, “We must not tacitly subsidize sweatshops. Basic morality dictates that taxpayer dollars should support sweatfree alternatives.” O’Shaughnessy continued, “ New York can lead other states and cities on the path to sweatfree public purchasing—by enacting a Sweatfree Code of Conduct that enumerates worker rights principles for inclusion in state apparel contracts and by formally affiliating with the State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium.”

"Subsidizing Sweatshops" reveals widespread human rights and labor violations throughout the uniform industry, including: child labor; illegally low poverty wages; forced and unpaid overtime; verbal, physical, and sexual abuse; pregnancy testing, excessively long work hours causing physical ailments; disregard for freedom of speech or association; and elaborate schemes to deceive factory auditors. The report documents sweatshop abuses in factories producing for several New York vendors: Rocky Brands, Lion Apparel, and Eagle Industries.

Rocky Brands
The New York Office of General Services contracts with Lehigh Safety Shoe Company—one of the several brand names under which Rocky Brands markets its products—for a wide variety of shoes and work boots. Rocky supplied a vendor for the City of LA, until it was eventually dropped after a period of defiant unresponsiveness to requests to address the situation.

Lion Apparel
NYS OGS contracts with Lion Apparel for such products as EMS pants and shorts, suspenders, gloves, hoods, and more. 

Eagle Industries
NYS OGS contracts with three vendors (Mar-Vel, Safety Systems, and ADS) who have Eagle listed as one of their suppliers for the NYS Hazardous Incident Response Equipment Contract.  Eagle supplies belts, harnesses, suspenders, straps, slings, holsters, ammunition pouches, bags, and tactical vests. 

Last Updated: 06/08/2011
© Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State