Sweat-Free Baseball

This is the news page for the Sweat-Free Baseball Campaign. For background and and contact information please visit the main campaign page.

Pittsburgh Push for the immediate release of Kalpona Akter

Posted Søn, 08/15/2010 - 10:53am by x346812

Sign the National Labor Committee’s petition demanding that apparel licensers step and facilitate an agreement that results in Bangladeshi workers be paid 41 cents an hour - link.

Sign the SweatFree Communities petition demanding the immediate release of Kalpona Akter - link.

YES! We need you to talk about sweatshop on Roberto Clemente Bridge on Saturday August 21! See you there at 5 PM.

YES! We need help following up on every aspect of the letter to Pittsburgh City Council posted below:

Kenneth Miller
Pittsburgh Anti Sweatshop Community Alliance
c/o Thomas Merton Center
5129 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15224

412-867-9213
nosweatshopsbucco@yahoo.com

Ethan Orlinski of MLB receives testimony from Pittsburgh City Council about sweatshop abuses at American Needle in Bangladesh

Posted Søn, 05/23/2010 - 3:51pm by x346812

PICTURE BANGLADEHS MAY DAY - The National Garment Workers Federation of Bangladesh led protest in Bangladesh on May Day. They demanded greater compensation for workers who have died in a fire at a factory sewing apparel for H and M. They march again on May 30!

PICTURE 4.27 City Council Pittsburgh - Darlene Harris, President of Pittsburgh City Council, hosted a post agenda hearing on August 27.

With help of Audrey Glickman, County officials, City officials and representatives of the Sports and Exhibition Authority heard the testimony of Kalpona Amber of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity and Zehra Bano of the General Secretary of the Home-Based Women Workers Federation of Pakistan.

Garment Workers in Bangladesh Celebrate MLK Day with the IWW, Pennsylvania Senators send Embassy’s Human Rights Officer

Posted Tir, 01/26/2010 - 6:44am by x346812

By Jonathan Christiansen and Kenneth Miller

Jonathan Christiansen, a Delegate of the Boston IWW, is living in Bangladesh with his wife and son until July 2010. Before leaving for Bangladesh he spoke with Jason Fults and reviewed the reports from his time as ISC Delegate in Bangladesh. The 2009 ISC made Christiansen an ISC Delegate to Bangladesh in December. In early January the IWW hosted a conference call to discuss the best ways to support Jonathan’s efforts in Bangladesh. Members of the Pittsburgh Anti Sweatshop Community Alliance and Bjorn Claeson of SweatFree Communities were guest on the call. The call concluded with the participants agreeing on three projects:

College Football Fans Unite Against Sweatshops

Posted Man, 09/14/2009 - 10:32am by x346812

College Football Fans Unite Against Sweatshops – PITT Alumni Against Sweatshops (part of the Pittsburgh Anti Sweatshop Community Alliance) is looking to coordinate some anti sweatshop action alongside the college football schedual…

• North Carolina State 9/26 (kicking PITT’s butt)
• Louisville 10/2 (tied)
• Rutgers 10/16 (kicking PITT’s butt)
• West Virgina 11/27 (tied)

Available to talk to college football fans at any of these games? Let us help! nosweatshopsbucco@yahoo.com 412-867-9213

Complete list of schools that have dumped Russell is here http://reininrussell.blogspot.com/2009/01/who-already-cut-off-russell.html

Russell’s workers rights violations are here http://www.workersrights.org/RussellRightsViolations.asp

Help us get some experience before MARCH MADNESS AGAINST SWEATSHOPS

IWW International Solidarity Committee on union label and "sweatfree certification"

Posted Tir, 07/28/2009 - 2:53pm by x346812

The following Motion was passed unanimously by the members of the International Solidarity Committee of the Industrial Workers of the World on July 25, 2009.
--- Portions of this Motion are addressed to the SweatFree Communities and the AFL-CIO Union Label Committee. Both are convening in September.
---

Where as… there is a viable global apparel union organizing drive spearheaded by workers in the Export Processing Zones and Free Trade Zones producing apparel for the North American consumer market. Policies that leverage the high expectations for workers rights in North American communities and the solidarity of workers in North America through licensing and procurement are a necessary component of this organizing drive.

Be it resolved… that the ISC of the IWW commend SweatFree Communities on its annual conference to be held in Detroit MI on September 11- 13, 2009 and recognizes that SFC Executive Director Bjorn Claeson has worked persistently to maintain openness and substantive dialogue within the community of North America activists supporting global apparel union organizing. Where as… SFC has acknowledged and supported the Pittsburgh Anti Sweatshop Community Alliance’s strategy of Community Collective Bargaining with the Home Team as the only way to leverage the anti sweatshop sentiment of communities working to hold their sports teams accountable for the working conditions in which team apparel is sewn.

Be it resolved that the ISC of the IWW continues to its support of Community Collective Bargaining with the Home Team and urges our colleagues in the North America anti sweatshop movement to reject direct negotiations with any of the major leagues.