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If you wish there were something you could do about
some of the worst abuses of corporate globalization, check out a
fast-spreading grassroots movement called SweatFree Communities. Its concept is simple: Although one shopper
can’t make a dent in the ethics of global manufacturers, each of us
can have an impact if we team up as citizens to harness the purchasing
power of our city and county governments, getting them to reject products
made with sweatshop labor. We often forget that the biggest consumer in
most places is local government, which buys huge quantities of uniforms,
computers, office furniture, and such from various corporations. We can say
to these vendors: No public dollars for sweatshop goods.
In my town, Austin, Texas, the City Council recently
voted unanimously to join about 170 other localities across the country in
the SweatFree network. These cities, school districts, and other public
entities have committed to buy only from contractors and subcontractors
that do not engage in such sweatshop abuses as the use of child labor,
poverty wages, and toxic workplaces.
To enforce the “no sweat” commitment, the
consortium sends independent monitors directly to the factories for
periodic unannounced reviews of labor conditions. The shared cost is
minimal — Austin’s share, for example, is only about $17,000 a
year. In turn, the assurance that the city’s purchases reflect our
people’s sense of justice is priceless. SweatFree Communities was founded in 2003 and is
supported by a wide range of churches, student organizations, unions,
advocacy groups, and community leaders. The notion is that there is power
in numbers — with each new community that signs on, new strength is
added to change industry practices . . . and end the shame of sweatshop
labor.
To learn more, call 207-262-7277 or go to
www.sweatfree.org.
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator,
columnist, and author.
This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 5, 2007.
