Chocolate, Whiskey and More at the Union Store

by Tula Connell, Sep 18, 2009

Last week, the UAW published a list of 2010 union-made cars, trucks, vans and other vehicles. It’s also Union Label Week, which we hold annually to highlight how union-made goods are high in quality and help support middle-class communities. These two events reminded me: Making a case for Buy American means we in the union movement need to do our job and show U.S. consumers how and where to buy American, and buy union.

Or at least we can try. I’ve seen an awful lot of brand-new BMWs, Mercedes and Lexus brands of all types driving around here in Washington, D.C., recently. Something tells me my money helped purchase those vehicles—no doubt some of the drivers are beneficiaries of taxpayer-bailed out financial institutions.

Still, not everyone is laughing all the way to making high-end purchases of foreign-made goods with U.S. taxpayer dollars. And for those who still have a conscious that can be appealed to, this list is for you.

• Next time you stay in a hotel, think about making it a union experience. UNITE HERE offers an online guide for finding a union hotel in the United States and Canada.
• Staying with the travel theme, the AFL-CIO Union Label & Service Trades (UL&STD) Department has a list of union airlines, casinos and more here.
• In fact, UL&STD offers a pull-down menu for searches on union-made clothes, financial services, food and beverages (note: Russell Stover, See’s and Seagram’s), house/home and lots more. Some of the categories are in better shape than others, but it’s a good start in pointing out union-made options.
• Buy union products direct at the AFL-CIO Union Shop Online.^TM Books, posters, music, stuff for kids and as many “Health Care Can’t Wait” placards you can carry and buttons you can wear.
• Many unions offer products at their websites, and there’s a list of union stores here. Of special interest: the Labor Heritage Foundation, which offers music, DVDs and more—proving again that it’s not just about bread, but roses, too.

There are union-made, American-made options out there. We just need to know where to find them.

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