U. City adopts resolution against sweat shops

BY MARGARET GILLERMAN

Sunday, October 10, 2010 12:05 am  St. Louis Today

UNIVERSITY CITY-- This city has become the first in the state to pledge that it will not purchase apparel manufactured under sweatshop conditions.

It joins a growing movement of about 180 governments, schools and other jurisdictions to adopt a policy against buying from manufacturers that violate basic humane and labor standards.

"This is simply a commitment by University City to be an educated buyer of clothing," said Jim Adams, one of a group of residents who asked the city to take action.

"It's well known the abuses in the worldwide garment industry."

The City Council last week unanimously adopted an anti-sweatshop resolution.

University City will join four states and 10 cities that are members of the Sweatfree Procurement Consortium, an organization that investigates and evaluates working conditions of apparel manufacturers. Others members are the states of Maine, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and such cities as Ashland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; Madison, Wis.; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco, and Milwaukee.

The U. City residents worked with the Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America, a St. Louis organization committed to economic and social justice issues.

They also have been in contact with St. Louis resident Kathy Petersen, who has seen such manufacturers in Nicaragua. She wrote: "In a huge windowless warehouse, row after row of sewing machines hummed as about 1,000 workers hunched over their machines at work on 12-hour shifts. No human voice was heard as talking was forbidden."

Marilyn Lorenz, of the Inter-faith Committee, said that U. City was the first government in the state to take action. "We would like to see other municipalities follow their example to adopt this ethic standard in their purchasing decisions," she said in a statement.

In University City, the buying policy will affect contracts entered into for clothing, uniforms, protective gear, footwear or accessories exceeding $5,000.