Works In Progress - September 2003 - Olympia City Council moves forward on Clean Clothes proposal

The City Council has been asked by the South Sound Clean Clothes Coalition to consider a policy that would require City Departments to purchase Clean Clothes whenever possible. Clean clothes are articles of clothing that are produced free of "sweatshop labor," or what would be considered as a substandard way to make a living or quality of life. Articles may be produced in an unhealthy environment with little or no concern for the employee producing the work. The current purchasing practices indicate City Departments are approximately 50% compliant.

Government is more than a business. Government can't be managed to generate private wealth like a business and must operate under the strictest moral and ethical standards. Good enough for government work has been and continues to be the highest work standard obtainable since the Truman years. Purchasing Clean Clothes supports those very values we want for our community: decent jobs with good benefits and a safe work environment. Purchasing Clean Clothes will not bring back brewery jobs but may slow the erosion of manufacturing jobs locally, regionally and nationally.

City of Olympia staff, City Manager Steve Hall and council members Mayor Stan Biles, Laura Ware, and Curt Pavola discussed the merits of establishing a central purchasing department for all departments. Nine city departments currently purchase clothing items with Fire, Parks & Recreation, and Public Works being the largest purchasers. A central department could be current on Clean Clothes practices, savings could be earned by bulk purchases, and individual staff would be relieved of purchasing their clothing, which is an "add-on" to their existing tasks. City of Olympia estimated the costs of implementation but used a nefarious average price per item based on a survey from various manufacturers. Problems with using average prices are highlighted by the following T-shirt example;

The City of Olympia projects an increase of $21,855 annually because a $10 T-shirt increases to $25 from a clean clothes manufacturer. South Sound Clean Clothes Coalition spokesperson Dick Meyer pointed out bulk purchases of Clean Clothes would be at the lowest cost available, not at the average price. Mr. Meyer is placing a bulk order with the women's coop in Nicaragua that makes T-shirts plus shipping for a little less than $5.00 a T-shirt. Additionally, the Administrative Services Department estimates cost to insure compliance, assist with research and follow through would be $6,000 start up and $5,000 annually.

South Sound Clean Clothes Coalition presented its estimates of the proposal during the August Budget Committee meeting. Consequently, central purchasing and Clean Clothes pricing will be further researched and presented in context of the budget process by November. However, there is a perceived urgency to outsource production to the lowest cost and least regulated work forces to pinch a few pennies. This is ridiculous. The moral position is to find ways to support those workplaces that treat their workers with respect and fairness, not to abandon them. We can act now locally to slow the trends of globalization, NAFTA and WTO hegemony. You can help. South Sound Clean Clothes Coalition is probably meeting Wednesday September 10th but a date and time had not been finalized at press time. Contact Dick Meyer @ Traditions Café or the city council members listed above for more information.