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Maine Governor Launches National Anti-Sweatshop Initiative

All Governors Invited to Join Coalition to Stop Tax Subsidies of Sweatshops

Augusta, ME – Today Maine Governor John E. Baldacci announced a path-breaking initiative to end sweatshop exploitation in apparel and other industries around the world and in the United States. In a letter sent to all governors on February 28, Governor Baldacci proposes a new collaborative effort to use state government procurement as a tool level the playing field for ethical businesses and advance justice for sweatshop workers.

The State of Maine adopted the nation’s first sweatfree procurement law in 2001 to end taxpayer support for sweatshop abuses. The centerpiece of the law is a code of conduct requiring state contractors and subcontractors of apparel, textiles, and footwear to adhere to basic international fair labor standards. But “we can accomplish more together” the Governor noted in his letter to governors.

"There's power in numbers,” said Governor John E. Baldacci, D-Maine. “We've been doing great work on sweatfree procurement in Maine, but if we team up with other states we'll have even more influence in the global marketplace. Workers around the world deserve any influence or leverage we can bring to the table."

The Governor’s Coalition for Sweatfree Procurement and Workers’ Rights will consider a variety of strategies to end sweatshop abuses including cost-effective and reliable independent monitoring mechanisms of contractor and subcontractor manufacturing facilities. The coalition will also consider forming a purchasing consortium to allow states to leverage purchasing power in support of sweatfree supplier factories.

“The Governor’s Coalition for Sweatfree Procurement and Workers’ Rights is an enormously significant initiative in the anti-sweatshop movement,” said Bjorn Claeson, Director of SweatFree Communities, a national organization that supports and coordinates local sweatfree procurement campaigns and maintains an office in Maine. “Combined with a similar municipal effort led by the Mayor of San Francisco, it has the potential to create a hundred billion dollar market for sweatfree products and services which would completely transform apparel and other industries where sweatshops are pervasive.”

In addition to Maine, the states of California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania have adopted sweatfree procurement laws, along with over 60 cities, counties, and school districts.

Governor Baldacci’s letter is available at: http://www.sweatfree.org/documents/BaldacciLetter022806.pdf