SUNY sweatshirts still made in sweatshops
State University of New York campuses have fallen behind the curve on ending sweatshop conditions in the factories producing merchandise that bears SUNY logos and names. It’s been almost a year (June 16, 2009) since a system-wide anti-sweatshop policy resolution was adopted by the SUNY Board of Trustees. Read more >>
30th Anniversary Celebration & Conference
Save the dates, Thursday, October 7 and Friday, October 8, highlighted by our Coalition’s 30th Anniversary Celebration with food, drink, music, testimonials, youth-inspiration, and prizes from 6 to 9 p.m. on October 7. The celebration will honor 30 years of good work by LRC volunteers, staff, board, committees and grassroots community leaders. Participants are encouraged to register for the conference AND celebration with sessions offered on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning at the NYSUT Conference Center, Latham, NY.
Check the 30th Anniversary section of our Web site for details when they become available: honorees, conference registration, tickets for the Celebration, plus opportunities for sponsorship and for advertising in the 30th Anniversary Program.
The latest from LRC’s Fair Trade Project
Are you on Facebook? So are we. Visit www.facebook.com/NewYork FairTrade
You don’t need to be a member of Facebook to view our page full of information and resources selected by Anne Kelly, the LRC’s Fair Trade Coordinator. Become a fan and receive regular updates from the world of Fair Trade. Want to make a bigger difference? Spread the word. Invite your friends to join too.
To learn more or order fine quality Fair Trade chocolate, coffee, tea or snacks, visit our Web site. Your purchase through this link supports the Fair Trade Project.
“Judaism and the Imperative of Ending Wage Theft”
A reflection by Rabbi Michael Feinberg, Executive Director of the Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition, was featured in the Interfaith Worker Justice e-newsletter in April. Visit our Web section on wage theft for Michael’s reflection and additional resources, especially if you know of situations where wage theft is occurring or would like to engage with others to address the problem. Read the reflection>>
Living Wages & Accountable Economic Development
Check out the Coalition for Economic Justice blog for thoughtful commentary on Community Benefits Agreements, a new model for community input in public development projects. CEJ and its allies are preparing for negotiations connected with the Canal Side Project in Buffalo.
Sweatshop-free policies change lives
Honduran workers at Russell Athletic and their union reached an agreement last November with vital support from the anti-sweatshop movement. According to Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, an independent factory monitoring group, “The agreement with Russell will make an immediate and enormous difference in the lives of thousands of workers and family members and will open the door to positive change for all Russell employees in Honduras—more than 10,000 people. …The victory is a maturation of the universities’ codes of conduct.” Read more>>
UPCOMING EVENTS
Farmworker Albany Day, June 15 preceded by a one week vigil beginning June 8. Flyer [PDF] & more>>
Fair Trade Futures Conference, Sept. 10-12 in Boston: Look for Anne Kelly (who will be co-facilitating a seminar) and a group from NYS at the largest Fair Trade conference in N. American history. To connect with the LRC at the conference, send a note to Anne or visit the FT Project News section of our Web site.
30th Anniversary Celebration & Conference Oct. 7-8: More >>
Border Witness Delegation to El Paso/ Palomas, Oct. 28-Nov. 3: Learn about “free” trade, immigration, women & children, education & health, human rights, the environment. More>>
Did you miss the print version of Justicing?
To read about 40-Hour FAST activities with photos from Ithaca and Albany, Immigration Reform rallies with photos from Syracuse and Saratoga, the memorial service for Sam Hirsch (life-long labor and civil rights activist and one of the founders of the LRC), worker rights events from the Syracuse and Utica coalitions and testimony by advocates for farmworkers at a NY Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, view the print version of Justicing in PDF format.
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