Acting globally

Milwaukee takes the lead again against sweatshop labor by requiring that vendors of all city purchases above $30,000 swear that workers were paid fair wages.

Oct. 31, 2007 Journal Sentinel

Editorial 

Four years ago, the City of Milwaukee put itself squarely and commendably in the vanguard of the growing anti-sweatshop movement by approving an anti-sweatshop ordinance for city clothing purchases. Last week, the Common Council set the bar even higher by unanimously approving an ordinance that will cover all city purchases above $30,000. It's an example that other municipalities should consider following.

The ordinance, which Mayor Tom Barrett signed Tuesday, is less sweeping than the one proposed earlier this year. But it still addresses the issue of sweatshop labor head-on while also dealing with the valid concerns raised by city purchasing officials last spring about the eventual additional cost to the city and the impact of the new requirements on vendors. The ordinance, for instance, will not require Cheryl Oliva, the city purchasing director, to hire more staff.

Ald. Tony Zielinski, the primary sponsor, says it's "a reasonable compromise." We agree. The ordinance would apply only to the primary vendors, as opposed to sub-vendors, as the original measure would have. The vendors would have to sign affidavits verifying that workers who produced the goods being purchased by the city were not paid "sweatshop wages," based on an established formula for determining fair wages anywhere in the world.

Zielinski said the measure would level the playing field for American workers and the firms that employ them but correctly noted that it also would "prevent exploitation of workers around the world."

Surely that's a goal every reasonable person cannot just live with but embrace.