Date of publication: September 6, 2005
Source: ABC 7 News
Sept. 6 (BCN) - The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is set to give mandatory second approval of the city's "sweatfree" ordinance at its meeting this afternoon. If the measure receives secondary board approval and the signature of the mayor, which is expected later this month, it will establish strict rules against the public purchase of products from sweatshops and encourage the local purchase of such items.
Introduced in June by Mayor Gavin Newsom and Supervisor Tom Ammiano, the measure will initially focus on the city's $2.1 million in contracts with the garment industry. After the first 12 months, other sectors that make up the nearly $600 million in city contracts will be considered.
Although the difficulty of enforcing the measure is of some concern, $100,000 has been set aside for this purpose. According to Tomas Lee, an aide to Supervisor Ammiano, $50,000 will be used for local enforcement through the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement. The other $50,000 will be contracted out to independent non-profit organizations for international enforcement.
Lee said that he could see the possibility of the measure costing the city additional money if many of its existing contracts have to be withdrawn. "There may be conflicts to gain access 1/8to labor conditions in certain countries 3/8," said Lee. "The city has the right to withdraw and rescind these contracts."
An 11-member advisory panel of anti-sweatshop activists will also be established to help enforce the measure.
The ordinance's mandatory second approval is scheduled today as the first item on the Board's consent agenda. The meeting will take place at 2 p.m. at City Hall's Legislative Chamber, second floor, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place.