Endorsement Form
State
and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium
To
Stop Tax Dollar Support for Sweatshops
Sweatshop conditions in apparel and many other industries in the United States and around the world are not the exception, but the norm. Most garment workers - including children - work long hours in inhumane conditions for wages that are insufficient to pay for their families' basic needs.
We/I believe that:
- Workers everywhere have a right to dignity and respect on the job, freedom of association, and living wages.
- Sweatshop exploitation undermines local economies and the competitive ability of companies with fair labor practices.
- Abuse of workers anywhere is bad for business and workers everywhere.
As large consumers, state and local governments can help level the playing field for ethical businesses and create significant demand for better working conditions. By adopting sweatfree purchasing policies, requiring suppliers to abide by fair labor standards in exchange for public contracts, governments can ensure that our tax dollars do not support human rights abuses. Working together, state and local governments can hold sweatshop offenders accountable while rewarding businesses for fair treatment of workers.
The State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium will stop tax dollar support for sweatshops by:
- Investigating labor conditions in common supplier factories using an independent monitor.
- Supporting factories where workers are treated with dignity and have a voice on the job.
