*Portland passes the First Sweatshop Free Ordinance in the Pacific Northwest*
*Proactive policy will help ensure taxpayer dollars are not spent on
sweatshop labor*
At yesterday's Portland City Council meeting, Wednesday, October 15, at 9:30 a.m., the Portland Sweatshop Free Purchasing Policy passed unanimously. The policy requires city agencies to procure public employee uniforms and other apparel only from those companies that disclose the locations of their manufacturing facilities and abide by ethical sourcing practices. Portland is the first city in the Pacific Northwest to adopt an ordinance for sweatshop free purchasing.
The policy has been promoted by the Portland Sweatfree Campaign, endorsed by 45 organizations, including labor, faith, and community organizations. On August 29, 2007, the Portland Sweatfree Campaign presented a resolution that City Council passed unanimously. The resolution established the Portland Sweatshop Free Policy Committee, which met regularly to craft the policy presented to City Council today. Community testimonies were shared by Arthur Stamoulis from the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign, Ed Hall-Vice President of the Portland Fighter Fighters Association Local 43, Rev. Kate Lore of First Unitarian Church-Portland, J. Ashlee Albies from the National Lawyers Guild, Jeff Baer the Chief Procurement Official for the Portland Bureau of Purchases, and Bjorn Cleason - Executive Director of SweatFree Communities,
read by Elizabeth Swager- Coordinator of Sweatfree NW.
The Portland Sweatfree Policy established a strong code of conduct for garment workers that make uniforms for city police, firefighters and other uniform wearing public employees. As former sweatshop worker Chie Abad testified at last year's hearing to pass the resolution, "Inside the factory, we had not ventilation at all. We drank rain water. And we had a quota system that we had to finish every hour. I also used to live in a squalid, unsanitary, overcrowded barrack. And most of all, women are fired if they got pregnant." The code of conduct addresses human rights violations such as these by requiring the adherence of local labor laws, ILO and UN
Conventions and codes of conduct including, but not limited to, freedom of association, health and safety on the job and just cause termination.
Commissioner Sam Adams said, "This is a start." While today's policy covers only apparel, Adams expressed his intention to eventually expand the policy to cover the many other items the City purchases. Commissioner Randy Leonard expressed particular appreciation for the policy's recognition of workers' rights to free association and collective union bargaining.
Ed Hall, a member of the Portland Sweatfree Policy Drafting Committee said, "As a firefighter I took an oath to protect the people who live and work in Portland from fires and disasters of all origins. Whether it is responding to emergencies or working to prevent them, we are committed to public safety. So it is important to me that the uniform I wear is made by a company that shares these values and is committed to safe, decent working conditions and fair wages. By establishing a policy that rules out companies that use child labor, abuse their workers and fail to pay a fair wages, I believe a real difference will be made in the lives of those who produce the uniforms we wear. I know we can do better than buying our goods and services from sweatshops, and I expect our City Commissioners agree."
Gavin White, a Democratic Party activist said, "In adopting this policy, Portland renews its commitment as a founding member of the State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium. Consortium participants pool their purchasing power to create economies of scale and make a viable market for sweatfree manufacturing. In this emerging global market, we will build long-term relationships with responsible suppliers by working with local experts around the world to correct labor-rights violations."
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