I’ve gone over and over how I try to buy US and Canadian union-made goods to ensure the goods I buy were produced with consideration for the workers who make them, and to try to keep a variety of industries on these shores. (Just imagine the cost of imports as transport fuel costs increase.)
But sometimes it isn’t easy to find these goods. The newsletter of the Union Label and Service Trades Department of the AFL-CIO — Label Letter — is very helpful. I go to its Do Buy feature for seeking out vendors. For instance, need a small gift for a child? Good ol’ Golden Books are union-made. (I always thought the Poky Little Puppy was a little, er, wobbly.) UUA GA attendees note: Powell’s, the “city of books,” is a Portland, Oregon feature with a unionized staff that knows its stuff.
The November/December 2006 issue is helpful for deciphering clothing labels.
Go to the Newsletter pulldown menu at UnionLabel.org.
