SweatFree Ohio

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Recent event:
High school athletes tackle sweatshops

Read the press release and media coverage, and view photos. 

Wednesday, Nov 26, 10:30 am – The Crypt, Ohio Statehouse

Students give thanks for sweatshop-free trends on the field and in the Statehouse

Join Columbus area high school students for an event at the State Capitol. What’s in store:

  • Hilliard Lynx Field Hockey Club team will show off their new sweatshop-free gear and talk about their new sweatfree policy
  • Sign the “Conscious Consumer pledge” promoted by the Columbus Council on World Affairs Council Fellows
  • 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 Strickland, showing public support from across the state for his initiative and for collaboration with other states, cities, and counties to achieve the goals of Ohio’s new policy

Contact midwest@sweatfree.org or 574-975-6207 for more info.

News Alert! On October 16, 2008, Governor Strickland signed an Executive Order prohibiting state contracts with sweatshops. Read our news release, and the beginnings of Ohio's new sweatfree policy.

County Commissioner Ben Konop greets supporters of Lucas County's Sweatfree Procurement Policy, adopted July 3, 2008.

Campaign Goal

If Ohio 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 political momentum for a just global economy. You can see the growing list of Ohio organizations and businesses that have endorsed SweatFree Ohio below.

Help us make Ohio 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 U.S. workers who have been impacted by the global race to the bottom. It's time we stop tax dollar support for sweatshops.

Endorse the campaign now!

Ohio has a unique place in the history of the U.S. anti- sweatshop movement. In 1997, North Olmstead, Ohio became the first sweatfree city in the nation, starting a national movement that now includes 181 government entities. Nine cities and two counties in Ohio have adopted sweatfree purchasing policies, and in June 2008 Lucas County became the first county in the nation--and the first government in Ohio--to commit to joining the State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium. 

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 Ohio to join the Sweatfree Consortium.

Take Action

Ask Governor Strickland 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 Ted Strickland
Riffe Center, 30th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-6108

2. Your action is most effective if you follow up with a phone call to the Governor's office: (614) 466-3555
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 Ohio campaign endorsers (as of June 23, 2009):

Annunciation Church
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good – Ohio
Church in Society, NE Ohio Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church
Church of the Resurrection: Social Justice Commission
Cleveland Diocesan Council on Global Solidarity
Cleveland Jobs with Justice
Columbus Jobs with Justice
Congregation of St. Joseph
Council Fellows, Columbus Council on World Affairs
Crawford/Richland CLC, Ohio
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus Social Justice Committee
InterReligious Task Force on Central America
John Carroll University Campus Ministry
John Carroll University JUSTICE- Jesuit University Students Together in Concerned Empowerment
Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, Cleveland
Matheny 2008
MIGUATE
North Shore AFL-CIO
Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee
Ohio AFL-CIO
Ohio Conference on Fair Trade
Ohio State Council, UNITE HERE
Peace with Justice Project, United Methodist Church
ProgressOhio
Simply Living
Sisters of Mercy, Regional Community of Cincinnati
Sisters of Notre Dame
St. Louis Church: Solidarity Committee
St. Therese Parish, Garfield Heights
Toledo Area Jobs with Justice
Tri County Labor Council, Akron
United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
United Steelworkers Local 2737
We Believe Ohio
West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church - Social Action Committee

Media

Resources

>> The law we hope to pass in Ohio
>> 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 Ohio Campaign
(574) 975-6207

midwest@sweatfree.org

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