SweatFree Wisconsin Campaign
Campaign Goal Take Action Endorsers Media Resources Contact
Campaign Goal and History
If Wisconsin 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.
Help us make Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin workers who have been impacted by the global race to the bottom. It's time we stop tax dollar support for sweatshops.
Wisconsinites have already played a leadership role in the national anti-sweatshop movement. The Milwaukee Clean Clothes Campaign successfully won anti-sweatshop purchasing policies for the City of Milwaukee, County of Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Public School District, making Milwaukee one of the most "sweatfree" areas in the country. The City of Milwaukee's 2003 sweatfree ordinance helped advance the sweatfree movement by creating a model for anti-sweatshop policies that includes factory disclosure and paying workers a non-poverty wage. The City of Madison has also adopted a sweatfree ordinance, and the University of Wisconsin system has been a leader in the student anti-sweatshop movement.
In July 2008, after the release of the ground-breaking report Subsidizing Sweatshops, Governor Jim Doyle affirmed the work of SweatFree Communities and Wisconsin anti-sweatshop activists. Read Governor Doyle's letter here.
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 Wisconsin to join the Sweatfree Consortium.
Take Action
Ask Governor Doyle 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 Jim Doyle
P.O. Box 7863
Madison, WI 53707
Fax: 608-267-8983
2. Your action is most effective if you follow up with a
phone call to the Governor's office: 608-266-1212
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 Wisconsin campaign endorsers (as of August 31, 2008):
Wisconsin State AFL-CIO
Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition
Voces de la Frontera
Union de Trabajadores Inmigrantes (Immigrant Workers Union)
Milwaukee Clean Clothes Campaign
Add your organization to this growing list by endorsing the
campaign now.
Media
Companies respond to sweatshop allegations
The Capital Times - July 3, 2008
State responds to report alleging sweatshop contracts
The Capital Times - July 2, 2008
Wisconsin asks contractors to look into labor abuses
Associated Press - July 1, 2008
State of Wisconsin admits police/fire uniforms come from sweatshops (listen)
WORT-FM Madison - July 1, 2008
Milwaukee Pressured to Adopt Sweatshop Free Ordinance (listen)
Wisconsin Public Radio - July 1, 2008
State DOA contacts vendors named in sweatshop report
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - July 1, 2008
Resources
>> Letter from Governor Doyle to SweatFree Communities
>> The law we hope to pass in Wisconsin
>> Subsidizing Sweatshops report. Be sure to download the Wisconsin factsheet.
>> 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 Wisconsin Campaign
(574) 975-6207
