NYS Labor-Religion Coalition

SIX STEPS to becoming sweatfree

Step 1. CREATE A GROUP IN YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. Individuals can ask their school board to change its purchasing policy and to include labor standards in the bidding process, as New York's law now allows. But it is much more effective and energizing to have a GROUP (of teachers, students, parents, principals, etc.) involved in working together for this change.

Step 2. CALL THE NEW YORK STATE LABOR-RELIGION COALITION. Join our network of groups engaged in similar campaigns across the state. The Coalition can provide you with the name and phone number of the your school district's superintendent and other resources. Call 1-800-342-9810, or 518-213-6000 ext. 6294 and check the Sweatfree section of the website www.labor-religion.org. Also, see other resources in the web site section. It has been developed to assist groups as they organize for a change of policy.

Step 3. WRITE TO YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT'S ADMINISTRATOR. Inform the superintendent or administrator of your group's desire to have your school board adopt a policy which enacts the new legislation so your district can take a stand against child labor and sweatshops. Ask that this issue be put on the agenda of the next school board meeting. Request a written reply to your letter, and share it with everyone in the group.

Step 4. FOLLOW-UP WITH A PHONE CALL. Within one week's time, call the superintendent or administrator. Ask if s/he has received your letter and if your group can present its case at the next board meeting. If a date for your presentation is not set, ask for names and phone numbers of all school board members so that they can be contacted individually about the issue. School board members are elected officials and such information is freely available to the public. Be persistent until you are given the date for this issue to be placed on the board's formal agenda. Keep a copy of all letters and a record of all phone calls.

Step 5. CONTINUE TO MEET AS A GROUP. The group may want to enlarge its membership, learn more about sweatshops and child labor and discuss strategies for success. Some groups have found a petition drive is one way to involve many others in the issue. A sample petition can be found on page 3 of this brochure. Your school board members will likely want to know how many others are in favor of a policy supporting informed choice. Presenting them when you speak at the board meeting will be very helpful.

Step 6. ATTEND THE MEETING AND MAKE YOUR BEST CASE. Invite students, teachers, parents, community and religious leaders to attend the meeting, preparing at least one spokesperson from each group. Publicize whatever happens, both within the school district and to the larger community. Be sure to take time to celebrate what is sure to be a step in the direction of eradicating sweatshops and child labor within your lifetime. Please contact us, so we can share with others what you have learned.

Educational Resources on Child Labor and Sweatshops

Free the Children.www.freethechildren.org 905-760-9382.
An international organization created and directed by young people. FTC provides excellent educational resources on child labor, sweatshops, and the global economy.

Maquila Solidarity Network.www.maquilasolidarity.org; 416-532-8584. Excellent educational material on sweatshops, global economy, and labor. Also involved in anti-sweatshop campaigns and solidarity actions.

Co-op America. www.coopamerica.org; 800-58-GREEN.
Resource for socially responsible investing. Lists mutual funds and retirement options that avoid investments in companies which use sweatshops and promote investment in companies that treat their workers fairly.

Clean Clothes Campaign.www.cleanclothes.org.
Site of the international campaign to encourage clothing stores to certify that their products are not made in sweatshops, by child labor, or by exploited workers.

National Labor Committee.www.nlcnet.org; 212-242-3002.
Provides educational resources about working conditions around the world.

Sweatfree Consortium www.sweatfree.org Provides educational, organizing resources on municipal and state sweatfree purchasing campaigns

Global Exchangehttp://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/sweatshops/

Smithsonian Museum of American History, Sweatshop Exhibit.www.americanhistory.si.edu/sweatshops/index.htm; 202-357-2700. Historical and current information about sweatshops and movements to reform them.

Corporate Watch.www.corpwatch.org; 415-561-6568.
Comprehensive information about corporations and their social, environmental and economic impacts.

Behindthelabel.org. Web site with up-to-date news about anti-sweatshop developments; provides easy links to scores of related sites.

U.S. Department of Labor.www.dol.gov; 1-866-4-USA-DOL. Search under child labor for information about projects including reports of the International Child Labor Program.

Sweatshop Watch http://www.sweatshopwatch.org/ Sweatshop Watch serves low-wage workers nationally and globally, with a focus on eliminating sweatshop exploitation in California's garment industry.