Governor Prohibits Contracts with Sweatshops
For Immediate Release
October 16, 2008
Contact: Victoria Kaplan, 574-975-6207 or 310-531-3415
Groups Praise Move, Look Ahead to Policy Enforcement
Companies engaged in sweatshop violations may not do
business with the State of Ohio,
according to an Executive Order signed today by Governor Ted Strickland. The
signing comes after the SweatFree Ohio Campaign, an alliance of 30 religious,
labor, student, human rights and community groups around the state, called on
Governor Strickland to end tax dollar support for sweatshops by joining with
other state and local governments to enforce sweatshop-free procurement
policies.
On July 1 the campaign released Subsidizing Sweatshops, a
first-of-its-kind report that revealed severe human rights violations in
factories that produce uniforms and other apparel for U.S. state and local
governments. Ohio
responded by contacting vendors named in the report, stating a commitment to
humane working conditions.
“This is a great initial step on the road to a more
humane economy, especially important in today’s difficult financial situation.
We commend Governor Strickland, and we look forward to working with the
Governor and his administration to craft a strong, enforceable policy that will
bring real results for workers in Ohio and
elsewhere,” said Victoria Kaplan, Midwest
regional organizer for SweatFree Communities. “We have learned through many
years of experience that no state can successfully realize its commitment to
end public purchasing from sweatshops without a large-scale cooperative effort.
We look forward to the State of Ohio
joining the Sweatfree Consortium to ensure that business practices and working
conditions are in fact improving.”
The Sweatfree Consortium is a collaborative effort of U.S.
government entities committed to enforcing sweatfree codes of conduct for
government suppliers through independent factory monitoring, problem
remediation, and the development of an approved list of vendors and factories
that maintain a commitment to ethical business practices. Lucas County, Ohio,
has already signed up to participate in the Sweatfree Consortium.
“Fighting the proliferation of sweatshop conditions is a
fundamental human rights issue,” Governor Strickland said in a press statement
released today by his office. “And this
is clearly an issue that affects Ohio
workers. We need to make crystal clear
that companies can’t simply ship jobs overseas so they can cut corners on
environmental and health safety standards.”
Executive Order 2008 – 21S states that “Production of
Goods in Sweatshops Has Become an Increasingly Widespread Problem” and that
violators of the order may be subject to contract termination. “When goods are
manufactured and supplied by companies that do not comply with laws regarding
acceptable employment conditions, the integrity of the competitive process is
undermined and basic human rights to which workers are entitled are eroded,”
the Executive Order continues. With this Executive Order, Ohio becomes the eighth state in the country
to commit to ending purchasing from sweatshops.
The full text of Executive Order 2008 – 21S and an
accompanying press release from the Governor’s office are available at:
http://www.governor.ohio.gov/News/PressReleases/2008/
October2008/News101608/tabid/871/Default.aspx
Learn more about the SweatFree Ohio Campaign at:
http://www.sweatfree.org/ohio
