This Holiday Season, Shop With Your Union Heart!

With the holiday shopping season bearing down on us, you have a chance to support Union principles while buying great gifts for family and friends. By selecting Union-made gifts, you’ll help make the holidays even happier for other working people, their families and their communities. What’s more, you know that gifts made by union workers are of the highest quality, so you can feel good about doing good.

Another great way to shop is to look for products that are Fair Trade certified (TM). Fair Trade advocates work to promote labor, environmental, and social policy standards to benefit working people.

This past year we’ve had many of our worst fears confirmed about the safety of some of the items that we purchase every day. Products manufactured in China have come under particular scrutiny, as testing revealed high lead levels in paint used to decorate millions of toys made there. In addition, concerns have long been raised about the workers who toil under sweatshop conditions to manufacture clothing and apparel made in China and other developing countries.

The Union Label and Service Trades Department of the AFL-CIO has a website dedicated to goods and services provided by 100% Union Labor. ShopUnionMade.org has an extensive list of companies who help support their communities by employing people who earn union wages and benefits. You’ll find something for just about anybody on your gift list at ShopUnionMade.org.

If you’re shopping for a young child (or somebody who acts like one), one gift that is always sure to please is the Classic Red Radio Flyer Wagon. All of the plastic ones are union-made right here in the USA!

The USA Coffee Company offers what they call “100% USA Union Coffee from Tree to Cup” from their corporate headquarters in Plantation, Florida. In addition to their gourmet coffee offerings, they sell teas, espresso beans, mugs, gourmet gift packs and more.

Justice Clothing is an employee-controlled cooperative based in Bangor with a dedication to be “a one-stop shop for union-made and sweatshop free apparel.” They sell most consumer clothing items that would be on your holiday list gift including Union Line 100% Heavyweight Cotton Denim Jeans.

Those are just a few holiday ideas. Look for the union-made or fair trade labels whenever you shop at your local neighborhood small businesses (They appreciate your support, too!) You can find links to these and many other products atShopUnionMade.org or at other websites dedicated to union-made, fair trade, and sweatshop-free merchandise. Here’s just a few:



www.nosweatapparel.com

www.transfairusa.org

www.unionplus.org/union-made.cfm