Stop Toxic Toy Import Campaign

On January 16, 2008, the National Day of Action on Toxic Trade, the United Steelworkers (USW) took the fight against the importation of toxic toys to 100 members of Congress at Congressional offices in 40 states to protect 100 million children.
In Portland, labor, environmental, consumer and fair trade advocates rallied outside the downtown office of Oregon Senator Gordon Smith to urge his support for the Food and Product Responsibility Act. The USW was joined at the event by members of the Oregon AFL-CIO, Working America, Portland Jobs with Justice, the Oregon Environmental Coalition, the Sweat Free Northwest Campaign, the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign, the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, the Oregon Public Interest Research Group, the Oregon Center for Environmental Health, many of which provided a speaker for the event.
"The recalls we keep hearing about week after week are the predictable results of shifting manufacturing to countries that don't meet the same basic consumer protection standards that Americans deem critical," said Arthur Stamoulis, director of the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign. "Threats to consumer safety go hand-in-hand with the massive job loss we've experienced as a result of our government's backwards trade policy."
The Unhealthy cheap goods that are coming into the country means that somewhere in the world, other workers are being exposed to low wages and higher levels of dangerous chemicals and work conditions than in the United States., added Eliana Machuca, of Portland Jobs with Justice.
"The door to the morality of the multi-national corporations has opened, and as we peer in we begin to understand they do not care about us, or kids, the future of the planet," continued Tom Chamberlin, president of the FL-CIO. "They car about themselves; they care about profit at all costs. And to hell with everything else."

The event was moderated by Ronald Rodgers, United Steelworkers, event coordinator. Rodgers informed the crowd that the many picket signs at the rally depicted forty different recalled items imported from China. Hazards associated with the recalls included excessive lead content in paint, risk of children swallowing small magnets, chocking and strangulation risk, even one which is known to have caused comas in two different children after swallowing several pieces of the product.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• toxic-toys
• toxic
• toys
• recall
• free-trade
• lead
• poison
• magnets
• children

[kurohune07]

Do you know the many of recalled products will turn up at U.S borders again, making a second or third attempt entry. It will enter regardless. That's china is all about.

[ORFTC]

Thanks for posting this, Jim!