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DECEMBER 2004
This holiday, give the gift of good union jobs
by Rick S. Bender, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO

Every time you buy a shirt or coat, you’ll see a label explaining where the garment was made. Sometimes it’s the U.S.A., but usually these days it's China or the Dominican Republic or another Third World country where wages and living standards are sadly below what we would consider decent. Knowing where the product is made gives our consumers the right to make their own choice about where they want their dollars to go.

That’s why I’m so dismayed that one of the first acts of Congress after this year’s election is to set aside the label requirement on agricultural products that show the country of origin. It seems a cynical act of disregard to our nation’s farmers who voted with such strong support for the current Republican majority. In this new global economy we’re in, imports of apples, grapes and every other kind of fruit and vegetable are part of the retail produce market.

Washington’s farmers face tough competition from these foreign producers. The least we could do is inform consumers so they can make a choice of whether they want to support their local farmers or not. Frankly, I am always amazed at those who prefer to keep consumers ignorant about the source of the food they buy. Hopefully, we’ll have a change in the national “know nothing” policy some day, although probably not in this current one-party administration.

But there is a way for us to get the word out at least in an informal way. With the Internet, information is much more accessible for those who want to look for it. We now have a new web site being developed that Washington’s consumers will be able to use this holiday season. They can check for products not only made in the good old U.S.A., but also made by union members who earn a decent wage for their work and are treated with dignity by their employer. The new website is: www.shopunionmade.org.

This national web page has a broad variety. It features everything from art glass from the Fenton Art Glass Company of West Virginia to Winchester rifles still made by American workers in Connecticut. For the holidays, all the traditional toys and games are available through Milton Bradley, Hasbro and Parker Brothers, including the always-popular “Monopoly,” “Risk” and “Sorry” board games that I’m afraid seem to reflect our current economy a little too well.

The web page features convenient links to the companies’ own on-line catalogues. Products from our region are featured too, from Pendleton Woolen Mills clothing and blankets to the wonderful wines from Columbia Crest and Ste Michelle wineries of Washington state. 

The fact is that American workers at American companies produce tremendous, high-quality products that we can choose to purchase this holiday season because we want to support “Made in the U.S.A.” Of course we could just get by purchasing the cheapest available product made by exploited workers in repressive dictatorships. But I call that a fundamental moral choice, one that each of us can make when we shop for the holidays.

Rick Bender is President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO,
the largest labor organization in the state.

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Copyright © 2004  Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO