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Delegates from Oregon’s SweatFree Campaign join others in Philadelphia with a strong message at the Governors’ National Convention. The delegation shares a special challenge for Governor Ted Kulongoski: “Stop supporting Sweatshops in Oregon. We have better uses for our tax dollars and now is the time to step up and commit to a SweatFree Oregon.”

Philadelphia, July 12, 2008 — Representatives from human rights, religious, labor, and student groups gathered from around the country today outside with National Governors Association centennial meeting to welcome Governor Edward G. Rendell’s historic commitment to end tax dollar support for sweatshops and to encourage all other governors to follow suit.

Sweatshop workers call on Governors to follow Rendell’s lead in historic sweatfree commitment during National Governors’ Association meeting. First-in-the-nation commitment receives applause at rally with religious leaders, human rights groups, students and labor groups who invite other governors to follow suit…

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Most of the Oregon delegation

Philly Workers Rights Board

NoSweat Rally in Philadelphia

tee-shirt says it all!

another pic - most of Oregon delegation

SweatFree Communities celebrates Birthday

For Immediate Release
July 12, 2008

Contact: Bjorn Claeson, 207-949-2375 or 207-262-7277
Dorian Lam, 912-441-9241
Vicki Kaplan, 310-531-3415

Interviews and Photographs available upon request

Sweatshop workers call on Governors to follow Rendell’s lead in historic sweatfree commitment during National Governors’ Association meeting
First-in-the-nation commitment receives applause at rally with religious leaders, human rights groups, students and labor groups who invite other governors to follow suit

Philadelphia — Representatives from human rights, religious, labor, and student groups gathered from around the country today outside with National Governors Association centennial meeting to welcome Governor Edward G. Rendell’s historic commitment to end tax dollar support for sweatshops and to encourage all other governors to follow suit.

Late Friday Governor Rendell signed a landmark, first-in-the-nation resolution committing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to participate in the State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium. The Sweatfree Consortium will help state and local governments enforce their commitments to end public purchasing from sweatshops by investigating factories and engaging in cooperative purchasing from vendors and factories that meet Consortium standards for labor and human rights.

“We congratulate Governor Rendell and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for stewarding this major advance in the fight against sweatshops,” said Bjorn Claeson, Executive Director of SweatFree Communities. “With Governor Rendell poised to become the next Chair of the National Governors Association, we look forward to him encouraging other governors to join the Sweatfree Consortium.”

Earlier in the day, human rights activists and garment workers from Bangladesh, Saipan, and the U.S. offered testimony to a panel of community leaders at the Philadelphia Workers’ Rights Board Hearing.

“I work at a factory that’s a government contractor, where there are poor working conditions, poverty wages, and a lack of meaningful benefits, but I have hope that these things will improve when states and cities join the Sweatfree Consortium,” Elisa Rios, a garment worker at Eagle Industries in Massachusetts, said in her testimony to the Board. State and local governments spend billions of dollars annually on uniforms for public employees and other apparel, most of which currently are made in sweatshops. A report released July 1 by SweatFree Communities detailed severe human rights and labor rights violations in a dozen factories in nine countries producing apparel for eight major uniform brands that supply state and local governments in the U.S.

“Taxpayer funds should not be used to support sweatshops that profit from the sale of goods while workers are denied basic human rights,” Governor Rendell said in a statement. “State and local governments represent a major consumer block, by committing to stop the purchase of goods made in sweatshops we can drive companies to improve working conditions.”

In March 2004 Governor Rendell signed Executive Order 2004-4, the Anti-Sweatshop Procurement Policy. Currently 181 public entities, including seven states, have similar sweatfree purchasing policies. The Sweatfree Consortium would enable these governments and others to enforce their policies in a cost effective way. Governor Rendell and the Pennsylvania Department of General Services helped develop the idea for the Sweatfree Consortium along with other government officials and human rights advocates, including SweatFree Communities.

“How the government spends our tax dollars is a reflection of our national morals,” said Bishop Dwayne D. Royster, chair of the Philadelphia Jobs with Justice Interfaith Worker Justice and a member of the Workers’ Rights Board who presided over today’s hearing. “The call to end tax dollar support for sweatshops is a call to our conscience to reflect the good that America should represent.”

Activists from more than a dozen states carried signs at the rally calling on their governors to join the Sweatfree Consortium. Signs also read, “Thank you Governor Rendell” and “No Tax Dollar Support for Sweatshops.”

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SweatFree Communities coordinates a national network of grassroots campaigns that promote humane working conditions in apparel and other labor-intensive global industries by working with both public and religious institutions to adopt sweatshop-free purchasing policies. Using institutional purchasing as a lever for worker justice, the sweatfree movement empowers ordinary people to create a just global economy through local action. Learn more at http://www.sweatfree.org

The State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium will facilitate sweatfree purchasing policy enforcement by pooling resources, sharing knowledge and expertise, and coordinating standards and code compliance activities. Learn more at http://www.sweatfree.org/sweatfreeconsortium

A measure that will re-open public libraries in Ashland will be on the ballot in September, as community sponsored efforts organize to campaign for its passage.

The Committee to Open Ashland Library (COAL)  is a grassroots campaign asking the community to approve a two-year local option levy of up to $.58 per $1000 assessed property value as interim funding to operate the Ashland Public Library.

The Public Library in Ashland, Oregon has been closed since April 6, 2007 due to lack of funding from  Jackson County. The Ballot measure 15-79, providing interim funding for the Ashland Library, will be decided by a special election on September 18, 2007.  This will be a mail-in election.  Passage of the levy requires a 50% voter turnout.

If the levy passes, Ashland Library is expected to re-open in October 2007. Ashland  City Staff will work with Jackson County  staff to develop  a mutually acceptable intergovernmental agreement(IGA) detailing the contractural services the City desires and the County will provide to operate the Ashland Public Library.

The full text of M15-79 as filed with the County is available for viewing at:  http://co.jackson.or.us/page.asp?navid=2080

COAL will publish one Argument in the Voters’ Pamphlet that simply lists names of endorsers.  COAL invites everyone to add their name urging support of M15-79 to re-open the Ashland Library. The effort is to include as many names as space and funds permit.  The deadline for submitting names and required signed SEL400 forms is Monday, July 23.

Early contributions are needed to pay for Arguments published in the Voters’ Pamphlet, due Monday, July 23.  The filing fee for each Argument is $350 for up to 325 words.  Checks payable to “COAL” may be mailed to P.O. Box 3598, Ashland, OR, 97520 and qualify for the Oregon Income Tax Credit of up to $50 per person per year

Organizations that have already expressed support include Ashland District School Board, League of Women Voters in Ashland, and Service Employees International Union.

A Library Supporters Discussion Group will gather to meet with concerned citicens,to answer questions on efforts to re-open Ashland and other branch libraries. Monday July 23rd from 7-9 PM at Peace House, 543 S. Mountain Avenue.

Committee to Open Ashland Library
Amy Blossom and Pam Vavra Co-Chairs, Anne Billeter, Josh Gordon, Ann Magill, John Sexton
P.O. Box 3598, Ashland, OR, 97520
http://www.ashlandlibrary.org

Measure #15-79  City of Ashland

CAPTION:  Local Option Tax Levy Interim Funding for Ashland Public Library

QUESTION:  Shall Ashland levy up to $.58 per $1,000 assessed value for two years beginning July 1, 2007 for library operations?

SUMMARY:  This measure may be passed only at an election with at least a 50 percent voter turnout. (Required language per ORS 250.036 and not counted towards overall word count.)  This tax levy is an interim funding solution to operate the Ashland branch public library for no more than two years.

Up to .58 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value may be levied if this measure passes.  This levy is expected to generate $1.032 million annually.  The average assessed value for a single family home in Ashland is approximately  $207,000, and this household would pay $120 per year if this measure passes.

Funds generated under this levy will only be used to provide library services.  The City will not levy this tax if Jackson County provides funding for adequate library services.

To open the Ashland library, the City of Ashland and Jackson County must negotiate and approve an intergovernmental agreement.

Library services in Ashland will include the following, at a minimum:

*  40 open hours per week with professional staff.
*   Existing public terminals for internet access.
*   Newspaper and magazine subscriptions.
*   Access to materials currently in the Ashland library.
*  400 new books per year.
*  Children’s programs and reference services.

Local Coalition Earns National Recoginition With Local Charter
SOJwJ recent approval for charter application to the National Board validates the more than two years SOJwJ has worked in the Rogue Valley in solidarity with other organizations to make an economic impact.

Begining with an explatory committee in 2005, SOJwJ followed the lead of other Jobs with Justice coalitions, including Central Oregon JwJ and Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network (ESSN)

SOJwJ has recruited 14 organizational members and over 200 members returning pledge cards.

LABOR ORGANIZATIONS

• Southern Oregon Central Labor Council
• SEIU #503 Statewide
• SEIU #503, District 4
• Oregon Nurses Association/RVMC
• American Postal Workers Union/Southern Oregon
• American Federation of Government Employees

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

• Oregon Action
• Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center
• Jackson County Pacific Green Party
• DUDE-Disabled United in Direct Empowerment
• Oregon Fair Trade Campaign
• KSKQ-low power fm radio
• Citizens for Peace and Justice
• Southern Oregon Socialist Action

As stated on its website, SOJwJ’s mission is to improve working people’s standard of living, fight for job security, and protect workers’ right to organize.

Whereas two organizations might disagree on principles, such as emphasizing environment instead of labor or vice versa, coalitions unite organizations that disagree by agreeing on the spirit of principles.

Depending upon the philosophy that it takes more than individual effort to impact economic change, SOJwJ is a non-profit coalition of labor unions, student organizations, faith-based groups and other community organizations. SOJwJ’s Chair Wes Brain states, “A coalition like SOJwJ strengthens its participating organizations and facilitates economic change.”

Fighting for economic change is often an uphill battle. SOJwJ brings together labor unions, religious congregations, and community organizations to support the civil and economic rights of all working people – especially the right to a decent standard of living, the right to a stable job, and the right to organize.

Members of SOJwJ have marched with teachers from Rogue River School District during their strike, participated in Ashland’s Fourth of July Parade and organized two Anne Feeney benefit concerts. SOJwJ holds its meetings the second Tuesday of every month, 7:00 PM at the Central Point.