June 2005
Newsletter #2
Contents: 1) Report from National Conference
2) NEW! Sweatfree Toolkit
3) Local Campaign Updates
Voices from the SweatFree Communities National Conference, May 2005
“ Learning about the victories of others has inspired me for my work back home.” — Buffalo
“It was such an energizing and inspiring space — I have been riding high ever since.” –Minneapolis
“ I enjoyed having active unionizers speak about their first-hand experiences… I liked the incorporation of religious communities...” — Boulder
“We had a really positive atmosphere, and really amazing speakers. Hearing first hand the experiences of workers who were affected by free trade, globalization and sweatshops was probably the most powerful for me.” — Bangor, Maine
“It was great to be pondering with you all!” — Connecticut
“I learned a lot, met awesome people, got inspired, and put faces on the struggle.” – Denver
“…variety of people from different places, of different ages, working on different campaigns, but all for one common purpose.” – Denver
“It was kind of fun going through the car wash to find the hotel!” — Los Angeles
“…some great new friends in the movement – the most important thing!” — Los Angeles
“… best of seven conferences we’ve been to this year…” — Portland, Oregon
“Got lots of positive ideas on how to better our campaign… I think we should be able to come home better focused and become a more efficient organization.” – Quebec
“ ...an opportunity to broaden alliances... We plan to improve the exchange of information on an international level.” — Central America
Over 80 participants representing 46 organizations — including local sweatfree campaigns from the United States and Canada (and Quebec), unions from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the U.S., religious organizations, United Students Against Sweatshops chapters, high school youth groups, anti-sweatshop organizations, and fair trade groups — made the second annual SweatFree Communities conference a resounding success. Denver’s Ethical Trade Action Group (E-TAG) were hosts extraordinaire, making sure workshops and presentations ran smoothly and handling the logistical challenges of lodging and transportation during the Cinco de Mayo celebration with grace and humor. A transcript of the conference is available for download here.
Do you have ideas for the 2006 conference? Planning is already under way for the 2006 edition, so be sure to let us know, and stay tuned!
New Sweatfree Toolkit
We collaborated with Global Exchange to produce an updated version to our organizing guide. The print version of the new 68-page Sweatfree Toolkit is now available. If you would like a copy, please email liana@sweatfree.org with your request and mailing address. Any donation that you can make for the guide will help with production and postage costs. The Toolkit will also be available on our website soon.
Local Campaign Updates
Connecticut: Thanks to the hard work of students and labor in Connecticut, the anti-sweatshop bill passed four committees, including Higher Education and Appropriations, surviving challenges and opposition. The organizing coalition, No Sweat Connecticut, that was formed in January 2005, built significant momentum and attracted 39 cosponsors through extensive lobby efforts. Check out the SB1148 online at www.cga.ct.gov
After the bill passed the committee process it did not have much time to be raised for a Senate vote. Despite pressure, the Senate Majority Leader, a co-sponsor of the bill, did not raise the bill for a vote. He used the excuse that no more bills with fiscal notes could be raised until the state budget was approved. In the last days, the House Majority Leader also said that he would only raise one more labor bill and the sweatfree purchasing bill would not be prioritized.
No Sweat Connecticut will continue the fight in the next legislative session starting January 2006. Congratulations to No Sweat Connecticut for all the hard work and the impressive mobilization!
Madison, Wisconsin: The campaign for a city policy passed its first hoop with a unanimous vote in the Board of Estimates. Go, Madison! Currently the campaign is drafting policy language for an upcoming City Council vote. Building off the organizing momentum and education that students in Madison have conducted on the university level, this campaign is going strong. Contact: district8@cityofmadison.com
San Francisco: The campaign hopes to win a city and county sweatfree policy this summer. In addition to a strong sweatfree purchasing policy with funding for independent monitoring budgeted, organizers have submitted city bills that set a preference for organic and fair trade products.
For more information, contact Valerie Orth at Global Exchange, valerie@globalexchange.org or 415-255-7296.
Also see: www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/sweatshops/sfbayarea.html
Many more campaigns are out there doing amazing work. These are just a few featured highlights. Stay tuned for news from more campaigns.
[Insert your campaign here! Please be in touch with Liana with the latest news from your campaign.]
