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Article

8 Sep 2006

Author:
Daphna Berman, Haaretz [Israel]

Doing good is No Sweat [Israel/West Bank]

A Jewish-American businessman has teamed up with a factory in Bethlehem to produce Palestinian-made clothes and accessories for sale on the international market. Adam Neiman, head of...No Sweat, a sweatshop-free apparel label that sells clothing and shoes, was in Israel recently to discuss plans with a Bethlehem factory. He will produce organic and fair-trade cotton yoga wear for the American and European markets..."This is a project that protects the environment, safeguards the rights of workers and promotes peace and prosperity in the Middle East," Neiman says..."That an American Jewish person has come to us means very much," said Shaher Saed, general secretary of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU)...The Bethlehem factory, Arja textile and Co., is owned by the Alarja family, a Palestinian Christian family that employs some 120 unionized workers...Locally, Neiman has signed an exclusive contract with Green Action, an Israeli company that markets local and imported fair trade products...Unlike other fair trade companies, Neiman works only with unionized factories, which means that the employees get paid at least minimum wage, receive health care benefits and get paid vacations.