AUGUSTA, Maine --Anti-sweatshop activists turned out at the Maine State House as part of a national effort to warn about federal, state and local tax dollars being used to buy products made in sweatshops.

According to a new report released Wednesday by a group known as SweatFree Communities, more local and state governments are adopting policies to require government contractors to meet ethical standards...

CLEVELAND (AP) -- An anti-sweatshop group says an Ohio-based uniform company has improved conditions at its plant in Honduras, but there remains more to do.

The factory employs about 500 workers and makes uniforms for Dayton-based Lion Apparel and other companies.

SweatFree Communities said Wednesday that a workers-rights group reported in July that employees at the plant worked for below minimum wage, were forced to work overtime and were not enrolled in social security, and that female workers had to take pregnancy tests...

Taxpayers who waited until Wednesday to mail off their forms were greeted by a variety of advocates at different Portland post offices.

OSPIRG held a rally at the University Station Post Office downtown.  The group was urging Congress to close offshore tax havens... 

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U.S. tax dollars spent in sweatshops

Child labor, forced and unpaid overtime, toxic conditions found in government contractors’ facilities as human rights groups rally at Post Offices across the country amid ailing global economy