To The Editor,

This Thanksgiving, there is much to be grateful for – food, shelter and security for our families and community.

As work and wages are the foundation of every community, I encourage readers to vote with their dollars for the kind of world they want to live in.

The Holiday shopping season begins this Black Friday and provides a great opportunity to shop with your values.

A few suggestions:

1)Buy American–Holiday spending contributes billions of dollars a year to the trade deficit. Imagine what we could do if that money was spent domestically? UnionLabel.org has a comprehensive guide to products union-made in America.

2) Shop Local–Locally owned stores generate much greater benefits for the local economy than national chains do. One study found that the local retailers return a total of 52% of their revenue to the local economy, compared to just 14% for the national chain retailers.

When we buy our gifts, let’s make sure we are also giving workers a fair shot and ensure Happy Holidays for years to come.

Sincerely,

Trustee Brian Pugh