2002 Anti-sweatshop Law
Barriers to Ethical Apparel Purchasing
Removed in NY

The State University of New York's Chief Operating Officer, Richard P. Miller, issued a memorandum on November 5, 2002, to presidents of state-operated campuses and community colleges beginning SUNY implementation of the August 2002 anti-sweatshop law.

This three-part law will influence the purchase of apparel in colleges and state agencies across NY. Senators passed S.7791-A on July 2, 2002. Click here to locate the Senate news release announcing passage. New York Assembly members passed A.11831-A unanimously on June 26, 2002. Click here for the Assembly announcement. Without ceremony, Governor Pataki signed the bill into law on August 6, 2002. Click here to see the full text of the legislation.

What will the legislation do?
It provides that all publicly supported post-secondary campuses in New York state can choose to "put moral obligation above the bottom line," in the words of a supportive editorial in The Record of Troy, NY.

"Enacting sweatfree policy should be a top priority in the up-coming fall semester," said Brian O'Shaughnessy, NYS Labor-Religion Coalition Director. Click here for the Coalition's news release.

For lists of colleges, universities, community colleges and technical schools affected by the law, click below:
State University of New York (SUNY)

City University of New York (CUNY)

If college policy requests and requires it, apparel manufacturers must provide information about worker compensation, working conditions, the right to form a union and the presence of child labor. This provision is similar to the "informed choice" law enacted in September 2001 affecting apparel purchasing by K-12 public schools in New York state.

In addition, the law establishes standards for the purchase of apparel or textiles by state agencies (as well as departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, divisions of any public benefit corporations or public authorities a majority of whose members are appoiinted by the governor). Agencies may request and require that bids include documentation attesting that such apparel was manufactured in compliance with all applicable labor and occupational safety laws and stating, if known, all manufacturing plants utilized by the bidder or subcontractor. This provision has similarities to a law enacted in March 2001 by New York City concerning its apparel purchases.

It requires that purchasing agents for state agencies use manufacturers listed on a "September 11 Bidders Registry" as preferred sources if their bids are within 15% of the lowest bidder. To be included in the Registry, a manufacturer must have had no violations of labor laws within the past five years as well as having been "adversely impacted" by the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States of America. The law authorizes the New York Department of Labor to establish the registry.

For background information about the law, click here.

The Sweatfree Schools Campaign, is a project of the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition which advocated for the law. For more information, contact us at 518/ 213-6000, x 6294. info@labor-religion.org www.labor-religion.org