SweatFree Michigan Campaign
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Recent Event >>
International Human Rights Day at the Capital
Read the press release and news coverage, and view photos.
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Getting ready to deliver about 1000 postcards to Governor Granholm. Some of the cards are hanging on the "clothesline" behind the speakers. From left to right: Jonathan Fung of the Detroit Interfaith on Worker Issues, Isaac Beachy of SweatFree Communities, State Representative Fred Miller, chair of the House Labor Committee, Dia Pearce of UNITEHERE, Laura Russello of Michigan Peaceworks, and Father Norm Thomas of Sacred Heart Church and the Interfaith Committee. |
Wednesday, December 10th
10:30 am
Room 424 in the State Capitol building in Lansing
As the financial and employment crisis looms over the
nation, and especially over Michigan,
it is crucial that we respond by addressing the roots of the problem. In recent years, millions of jobs that supported
U.S.
working families moved overseas and now exploit other workers the world over.
The state of Michigan can work to reverse this
system and support both workers in Michigan
and abroad by using its buying power in the State and Local Government Sweatfree
Consortium.
We are gathering in Lansing on International Human Rights Day to thank Governor Granholm for standing up for workers rights and human rights, and to demonstrate to her that labor rights and sweatfree purchasing are issues that Michiganders care about. Over the past six months, hundreds of Michigan citizens have signed postcards to Governor Granholm asking her to take the first step and sign an executive order that enters Michigan into the Sweatfree Consortium.
Join us December 10 in recognition of International Human Rights Day:
- Hear support from Rep. Fred Miller and other state legislators
- Get your brand new 2009 Shop with a Conscience Guide - hot off the press in time for the holiday shopping season
- Help deliver hundreds of postcards to Governor Granholm, showing public support from across the state for an effective statewide sweatfree purchasing
Campaign Goal
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| SweatFree Michigan supporters gather at the State Capitol on July 1, 2008 to launch the campaign. See more photos of the event here, and read the press coverage here. |
If Michigan is like other states, most of the
apparel, textiles, and other products that it buys with taxpayer dollars are
made in sweatshops.
But that can change. A growing national movement is organizing for "sweatfree" purchasing to build market demand for sweatshop-free products and support for workers’ struggles. You can see the growing list of Michigan organizations and businesses that have endorsed SweatFree Michigan below.
Help us make Michigan sweatfree! Through our collective effort, our state can ensure living wages and decent working conditions for those producing goods for us. This will also help level the playing field for Michigan workers who have been impacted by the global race to the bottom. It's time we stop tax dollar support for sweatshops.
In March 2007, SweatFree Communities convened a historic meeting of human rights activists and public officials who agreed to form the State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium, which will pool resources for factory monitoring and coordinate enforcement of sweatfree purchasing policies. The interim Steering Committee for the Sweatfree Consortium is now inviting states, counties, cities, towns, and school districts to join the Sweatfree Consortium as provisionary members. The more that join at this early stage, the sooner the Sweatfree Consortium will get off the ground. It's time for the entire state of Michigan to join the Sweatfree Consortium.
Take Action
Ask Governor Granholm to join the State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium.
1. Ask the governor to adopt this sweatshop-free procurement Executive Order. Here's a sample letter you may use. Use this form or send a letter or fax to:
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
P.O. Box 30013
Lansing, Michigan 48909
fax - (517) 335-6863
2. Your action is most effective if you follow up with a
phone call to the Governor's office: (517) 335-7858
3. Send us a note to let us know
that you took action.
4. Spread the word! Ask your friends to take action!
5. Endorse the campaign.
Endorsers
SweatFree Michigan campaign endorsers (as of May 5, 2009):
American Federation of Teachers – Michigan
Catholics in Alliance for the
Common Good – Michigan
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Michigan chapter
Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance
Detroit
Catholic Worker, Day House
Detroit Interfaith Coalition on Worker Issues
FAIR-Fair Trade Awareness Initiating Relationships
Greater Lansing Labor Council
Industrial Workers of the World - Grand Rapids GMB
Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice
Isabella
County Democratic Party
Leadership Council of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Monroe, MI
Lecturer's Employee Organization - Local 6244
Metro Detroit AFL-CIO
Metro Detroit Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women
Michigan AFL-CIO
Michigan
Change to Win
Michigan Peaceworks
Operating Engineers Local 547
PAX Christi Michigan
Peace
Education Center
State Representative Fred Miller
Students Organizing for Labor Equality (U of M)
TIBETMichigan
UNITE HERE
Michigan State
Council
USW Local 12075
Wake-Up
Wal-Mart Down
River
Workmen's Circle
And these Michigan businesses:
Maggie's Organics/Clean Clothes Inc., Ypsilanti
National Dry Goods, Detroit
Media
No sweat: Rally at Capitol seeks to draw attention to state-supported sweatshops
Lansing City Pulse - December 11, 2008
Sweat Free Michigan campaign calls on the Governor
WLNS-TV - December 10, 2008
Sweatshops
Gongwer Michigan Report - December 10, 2008
Amid Economic Crisis, Michigan Leaders Celebrate Human Rights Day, Call on Governor to End Tax Support for Sweatshops
Press Release - December 10, 2008
Rally links state to foreign sweatshops
Lansing State Journal - July 4, 2008Group rallys against sweatshop labor
Arab American News - July 4, 2008Rally against sweatshops at State Capitol
WLNS-TV - July 2, 2008Sweatshop Free Michigan
WLAJ-TV - July 1, 2008Group protests oppressive conditions in global factories at state Capitol
Detroit Free Press - July 1, 2008Rally at Capitol denounces sweatshops
Lansing State Journal - July 1, 2008
Resources
>> The law we hope to pass in Michigan
>> Information on the State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium
>> 2-page flier about the campaign
>> Sweatfree Toolkit
>> Many more resources
Contact
Get in touch with us to learn more and join the effort!
Sweatfree Michigan
Campaign
(574) 975-6207
