The Union Label Crossroads: Life or Death?

We are at a crossroads. For over 100 years, the union label has been stitched into clothing to indicate that the workers who made the product are ensured good working conditions and fair wages. Today, it is possible the platinum standard of union labels may disappear if we do not act quickly.

Why would this happen? As the popularity of ethical consumerism has increased, the race to create labels that compete with the union label has also grown. Corporations and corporate-friendly entities are capitalizing on the desire for ethically produced merchandise by creating various symbols to stick on tags. More often than not, the symbols lack union representation for the workers.

Ethix Merch believes the highest labor standard for apparel production includes independent worker organizations or worker ownership. We see the rise in ethical labeling as a severe threat to the integrity of the standards provided by authentically union made goods.

The Slow Chokehold on Union Clothing

At Ethix Merch we constantly consult groups and organizations looking to spend their money wisely on ethically manufactured goods. We have seen an alarming spike in the past 18 months of uneducated buyers reaching out with requests for "fair trade clothing and T-shirts". What is particularly troublesome about this is that when pressed to express what they mean by "fair trade" they most often describe union label standards.

At Ethix Merch are concerned about the direction ofcurrent Fair Trade apparel certifications, as we explained in the recent blog post titled "Fair Trade Clothing is Dead- Can We Save the Union Label?"

We are very clear about where we stand in the efforts toward a sweatshop-free world and the involvement of Fair Trade USA. However, we still appreciate the values behind fair trade.

Is there an innovative solution that combines our respect for independent worker representation with the fair trade movement?

To find this answer we looked no further than the labor rights organization International Brotherhood of Teamsters. With an extensive history of human rights activism, Teamsters developed a model for fair trade that includes the proven labor union standards for worker empowerment.

You can download a .pdf of this proposed structure, or check out the reproduction below. Then, tell us what you think of the ideas here?

Did you know we're social?

We are excited to be available on the most popular newest social networking websites- Google+ and Pinterest. In joining these networks we hope to better serve our clients and friends by sharing interesting content we come across related to the Sweatshop Free Movement, fair trade, the environment, and American manufacturing.

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Morgan Currier is a undergraduate at the University of Washington, majoring in History. She is currently the International Solidarity Campaigns Representative to the national Coordinating Committee of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS). She spends much of her time as an organizer in her local chapter where she runs campaigns around issues related to labor rights in solidarity with unions. In January 2011, Morgan traveled to the Dominican Republic to visit the Alta Gracia factory and her short film about the experience was shown at the Canadian Labour International Film Festival.

Ethix Merch: How did USAS and social justice activism become such an important part of your life?

Morgan Currier: In high school, I had the opportunity to visit Agriprocessors meat plant in Postville, Iowa just months after the community fell victim to one the largest and most controversial immigration raids in U.S. history. Prior to the raid, reports had surfaced indicating that the factory was violating numerous U.S. labor laws including implementing forced overtime and employing children. Having conversations with the workers, the majority of whom were Guatemalan immigrants, was both shocking and eye-opening. Their undocumented status prevented them from organizing around the sweatshop conditions they were subject to while at the plant seven days a week. After the raid, U.S. law made it impossible for them to continue working or receive any source of income. Postville slowly began to deteriorate as families went hungry and local businesses couldn't stay afloat. I couldn't believe that this was the situation facing the workers who produced the “kosher” meat served at summer camps I attended as a teenager. I was frustrated that the struggle of these workers was so close to home, yet neither the workers nor myself had any ability to improve their situation.

This experience instilled in me a belief that solutions could be found through strengthening the labor movement. When I began college, I joined United Students Against Sweatshops because I believed in the goals and vision of the movement. USAS is dedicated to building sustainable power for working people everywhere and through coordinated, strategic campaigns, USAS has been extremely successful in holding corporations accountable to their workers. I realized that as a student at a University, I have a great deal of power and as I coordinate with unions and worker struggles, we can reclaim power that those at the top continue to withhold.

Ethix Merch: You've spent a lot of time working on outreach and publicity for Alta Gracia Apparel. What makes the AG project so special, from your perspective?

Curious about local American manufacturing? Check out this brief article and video we were excited to see about our friends at UnionWear. Mitch Cahn explains a bit about how he competes with non-union, non-local operations.

Thanks to David Cruz for highlighting this!

"New Jersey Makes, Pt. 2: The State of Manufacturing in New Jersey

In part 2 of New Jersey Makes, NJ Today’s David Cruz reports on how a public-private partnership is helping New Jersey companies compete in the international market place."

Watch New Jersey Makes: Part 2 About NJ Manufacturing on PBS. See more from WNJT.

If it is really important to have some environmentally friendly promotional items and other "stuff" at your next event, then we are happy to help you get some great ethically made swag.

We are constantly on the lookout for new organic, recycled, and locally made custom items. In the last few months new products started being manufactured in the USA, such as American made organic/recycled PET t-shirts and locally made glass water bottles. Both of these can be custom imprinted in environmentally-better ways, (ask about our water-based eco inks and glass etching.)

Everything we do has an impact on the water, land, trees, animals, and each other. Every purchase we make matters in some way. We look forward to talking through your options if you think the impact of "green" promotional merchandise is worth it.

There are many ways to show we care about our environment. At Ethix Merch, we encourage you to consider whether you really need eco friendly promotional give aways. Could you achieve your ultimate goal without any new consumption? Check out our blog post on "How to Buy Less Stuff" for more thoughts on this topic.

Here are some of our favorite options for you to explore if you are looking to purchase:

Giving Away Charity vs. Skillbuilding

Have you ever heard this quote?

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today.  Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”  — Author unknown

Ethix Merch thinks this is a great argument for moving beyond popular charity models- like when Tom's Shoes dumps shoes on communities, potentially wrecking the local shoe manufacturer's livelihood, (among other things).

Environmental Justice and Labor Rights

Ethix Merch is also passionate about the concept of environmental justice. After all, who wants to fish in a dirty river?

One way to understand environmental justice is to look at where landfills, toxic waste, and pesticide-laden fields end up (hint: it's not usually near predominantly white, wealthy neighborhoods.)

Environmental justice offers another model for nonprofits and businesses that want to go beyond charity. What if we decided we can only take an economic action when both people and the earth are respected?

What would that look like? 

It would look like organizing! Check out this beautiful rephrasing of the above quote, which takes the idea way beyond charity and into community empowerment through organizing around environmental justice: 

Spring's New Promo Swag - Tasty, Colorful, and Natural

With spring comes the beginning of our "T-shirt season" when groups looking for custom printed tees check out our ethically made options. We love T-shirts, but did you know we also offer so many other promotional items with union, local, eco, and fair trade values?

It's important to us - especially as we come up to Earth Day - that all these things we make have lasting quality. If we can convince organizations to make something more durable and less likely to end up in a landfill, then we fulfill our mission!

When your organization decides to make a purchase, do you discuss the "life-cycle" of your stuff? If not, could you start considering what happens after you hand out your freebies? You have the ability to make a huge difference with your group puchasing- simply by considering a few environmental ideas such as the trash produced by most promotional products.

We offer a range of political campaign services for your local political campaign or national election. This includes bumper sticker supplies, custom campaign stickers, campaign political signs, political pins and buttons, campaign balloons, political campaign cards, political yard signs and banners, and other election campaign materials.

Check out our union made and printed T-shirts here!

Whether it is your first time ordering election campaign supplies, or if you know exactly what election products you want, we can help with your custom design. Ask us about our artwork services and creating political campaign literature that grabs voter attention.

We might not know exactly how to win a political campaign, but we can offer discounted political campaign packages to help you succeed! Check out these political supplies and election products, and contact us with any questions.

Q. What happens when you merge a children's school supply program with labor ethics? 

A. K to College.

The School Supply Initiative (SSI) is organized in California by K to College, and in the last two years more than 175,000 students have received bags full of supplies. The total amount donated is approximately $12,000,000. This fulfills their mission:

"To promote equal access to education by ensuring every student has the resources and tools to learn from kidergarten to college"

That's awesome, right? They are giving away tote bags filled with school supplies for kids to be able to succeed in school and go to college!