FAIR TRADE UPDATE!
As many of you know, University Church has been highlighting the need for ‘Fair Trade’ in the market place. We have focused mainly on those commodities of coffee, tea, chocolate, olive oil, as well as a few other foods — mostly foods that we do not grow here in the U.S. but are imported from around the world. We buy and sell these foods, because we want to contribute to a more sustainable world, where workers get a fair wage, working conditions are safe, and the environment is protected.
This past month we are focusing on a new arena for Fair Trade — our clothing. There is a movement underway to create ‘sweat shop free’ sources for our clothing – to place pressure on those companies from whom we buy our clothes, to have safe working conditions for their workers, as well as a wage that is livable. One year ago the single deadliest accident in the apparel industry’s history occurred in Bangladesh. That’s when the eight-story Rana Plaza, a building that contained several garment factories producing clothing for western consumers, collapsed — killing more than 1,100 workers and injuring thousands more. We mourn the loss of those lives — people who like us, are simply trying to work to support themselves and their families.
On July 29th, Chicago’s City Council Budget Committee passed an ordinance that was introduced into the Chicago City Council by Alderman Pawar, which would mandate that all City of Chicago uniforms come from ‘sweat-free’ sources. This ordinance was passed by the full City Council on July 30th and beginning January 2015, uniforms used by most city employees will be purchased from sweat free operations.
If you want more information about this, you can head over to this link http://www.chicagofairtrade.org/component/content/article/1-latest-news/342-ordinance-prohibits-city-uniforms-to-be-purchased-from-sweatshops.html
…………..And let us remember the workers of the world, who bring us our food and our clothing.
