CLAYTON  •  The St. Louis County Council on Tuesday passed legislation that prohibits county government from buying any apparel manufactured under sweatshop conditions.

The bill applies to any uniforms, shoes, garments and accessories purchased for county employees.

The legislation, introduced by Councilman Pat Dolan, D-Richmond Heights, passed 5 to 1 at Tuesday's regular council meeting in Clayton with Councilman Greg Quinn, R-Ballwin, casting the dissenting vote.

Quinn said he opposed the bill because he felt it was impractical and unenforceable.

“The ordinance is very vague,” said Quinn, who is an attorney. “And it defines a sweatshop in a way that most people wouldn't define it. For instance, it cites failure to pay time-and-a-half for overtime as constituting a sweatshop. But would that be overtime as defined by U.S. law or overtime rules in the country where the item was manufactured?”

Also Tuesday, several county residents alleged during the public comments segment of the meeting that Ameren Missouri's Meramec plant emits pollution that can trigger asthma attacks and other respiratory problems.

Webster Groves resident and Sierra Club member John Hickey asserted that sulfur dioxide emissions from the plant measure 300 micrograms per cubic meter in his municipality, exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency's unhealthy air standard of 151 micrograms.

“Even at that distance from the plant, the air is unhealthy,” Hickey said.

Ameren has said that steps it has taken in recent years to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions put it in compliance with federal pollution standards.