Calling all Maryland residents to support SweatFree MD House Bill 290

Ending Taxpayer Support for Sweatshops

This is the human reality of the global apparel industry: Young women and children work long hours under harsh conditions for poverty wages. Women are fired if they become pregnant. Workers’ health, safety and human rights are ignored.

Our tax dollars pay for human rights abuses when our cities and states buy uniforms and other products.

It's time for the state of Maryland to pass SweatFree MD House Bill 290 into law.  Maryland has the opportunity to be a leader while supporting basic labor rights for all workers producing apparel for Maryland employees including police officers, public transit employees, correctional officers and many other state employees.

TAKE ACTION NOW BY EMAILING YOUR MARYLAND DELEGATE EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR SWEATFREE MD HOUSE BILL 290.

If you know of any organizations that would like to express support for Bill 290 through an organizational sign on letter, contact Trina Tocco for more information.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I respectfully urge you to support House Bill 290 -- Purchase of Apparel by State Agencies -- Labor Standards sponsored by Delegate Joanne Benson. This bill seeks to end Maryland?s role in subsidizing sweatshops in the US and abroad.

Sweatshop conditions in apparel and other industries in the United States and around the world are well documented. Most apparel workers around the world - including children - work long hours in inhumane conditions for wages that are insufficient to pay for their families' basic needs. Sweatshop exploitation undermines global economic security and political stability, and undercuts efforts by ethical businesses in our state to compete in the global economy.

If Maryland is like other states, most of the apparel, textiles, and other products that it buys are made in sweatshops.

But that can change. As a significant participant in the marketplace, Maryland can help level the playing field for ethical businesses and increase demand for better working conditions in apparel and other global industries. By adopting a sweatfree procurement policy that requires state vendors and contractors to abide by fair labor standards in exchange for public contracts, we can ensure that our tax dollars do not subsidize sweatshops.

The bill includes the following provisions: - A sweatfree manufacturing code of conduct: All vendors, contractors, and subcontractors must adhere to the code of conduct which includes respect of local laws and International Labor Organization standards; non-poverty wages, adjusted by labor markets; rights to assembly and collective bargaining; non-discrimination; ban on child labor; and safe working conditions. - Disclosure of factory locations and wages: To qualify for a bid vendors must disclose locations of factories and worker wages producing goods to be sold to the state. - Community involvement: Creation of a community advisory committee composed of citizens and worker rights experts to ensure that good intentions are translated into good results. - Collaboration with other states and independent accountability: Join other public purchasers nationwide in a State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium. Consortium members will pool resources to investigate labor violations and monitor factories, coordinate enforcement, and buy jointly from sweatfree factories. (More information: sweatfree.org/sweatfreeconsortium)

Six state governments, 52 cities and counties, 118 school districts, and 179 colleges and universities have adopted policies requiring their apparel products to be made in fair labor conditions. We hope you agree that the State of Maryland should also ensure that our tax dollars do not subsidize exploitative conditions.

Please consider supporting the sweatfree procurement bill.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
February 05, 2008