Date of publication: August 5, 2005
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Author: Cecilia M. Vega
A measure that would bar city departments and agencies from buying products manufactured in sweatshops was approved Thursday by a key San Francisco Board of Supervisors committee.
The legislation, passed by the Budget and Finance Committee, calls for the city to refuse to buy goods made by domestic or foreign contractors that violate local or international labor laws or employ child or slave labor.
Though many in the labor industry say such a measure would be difficult to enforce, it appears to have unanimous backing at the Board of Supervisors, which is expected to approve it Tuesday.
The ordinance, under the first year, would apply only to the city's purchase of uniforms and other clothing -- a total of $6 million, or about 1 percent of San Francisco's $600 million in annual purchasing.
The ordinance also establishes an advisory committee, composed mostly of local anti-sweatshop activists, which could recommend the ordinance be expanded to cover other supplies purchased by city government.