The LRC Fair Trade Project builds support for the fair trade movement among union members, their families and their communities. International worker-to-worker solidarity trumps the ravages of corporate monopolies as union members "walk the walk" with workers around the world. When you order coffee from Dean’s Beans, chocolate from Equal Exchange or arrange a fundraiser with either business, you are helping to support the Labor-Religion Coalition’s FAIR TRADE PROJECT as well as guaranteeing living wages and human dignity for Third World farmers.
Action Alert from the NYSUT/Labor-Religion Coalition Fair Trade Project: CADBURY PLEDGES TO EXPAND FAIR TRADE
Thank Cadbury for its Fair Trade commitment!
Cadbury recently announced plans to begin using Fair Trade cocoa in the summer of 2009 for England's leading chocolate bar, Cadbury Dairy Milk. Cadbury is the first major chocolate brand to use Fair Trade in one of its main product lines, and this change will improve the lives and working conditions of cocoa farmers in Ghana. Cadbury's announcement proves that it IS viable for a major chocolate bar to go Fair Trade without passing a significant cost increase to consumers.
Cadbury's Fair Trade bars will only be available in England and Ireland. Here in the US, Cadbury's chocolates are not Fair Trade certified. There is no labor certification behind Cadbury's Creme Eggs or mini eggs, which are manufactured by Hershey Chocolate in the USA. By contrast, companies like Divine, Equal Exchange, Sweet Earth Chocolates, Alter Eco, and Theo Chocolate have been pioneering Fair Trade and sustainable practices for decades, and are 100% Fair Trade.
As we all know, it is important to write companies to pressure them to improve their performance on human rights and the environment. But it is just as important to thank companies when they make a change for the better.
We are asking you to take two important actions: · Please join us and Fair Trade advocates around the world in generating as many letters as possible to thank Cadbury for its support for Fair Trade and to encourage Cadbury and Hershey to extend Fair Trade to the US market! Click the following link to send an email: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/cadbury09OR use the sample letter below to cut and paste from your own email.
· For your own chocolate purchases, continue to choose Fair Trade! When you order Equal Exchange chocolate through the Labor-Religion website, http://www.labor-religion.org/fairtrade-main.htm, Equal Exchange will make a 10% donation to our Fair Trade Project.
