Thanks to a sociology class, the University has moved a step closer to permanently providing sweatshop-free apparel bearing University logos. Well actually, the permanence of the project depends on consumer demand. But the Emerald editorial board is excited about the project, and we urge the community to support the new “no-sweat” zone at the University Bookstore.
Students in Professor Michael Dreiling’s “Workers, Consumers and the Global Economy” class formed the Campus Coalition for Fair Labor earlier this term. The aim of the group is to provide sweatshop-free University apparel, and they’ve almost reached their goal. Shirts should be on sale before the 2001 commencement, if all goes according to plan.
But first, the group will hold a rally today at 11:30 a.m. in the EMU Amphitheater to raise awareness and support for the project. We encourage the community to show up. No tents are required, and you don’t have to get arrested at Johnson Hall to work toward sweatshop-free apparel. Just come lend your support and sign the petition for the “sweat-free zone.”
We support this project specifically because it offers a solution to the problem of sweatshop labor without the need to cajole or make demands of administrators. Consumers on our campus, if they are as supportive of humane working conditions as they claim, can now make the choice to purchase only “no-sweat” apparel.
Offering consumers the option was the focus of University Bookstore general manager Jim Williams’ comments about the venture for Friday’s article in the Emerald. He emphasized that offering the choice should not be taken as disapproval of the other products the bookstore sells. It’s just a choice, he said.
That’s good business, and it’s fantastic that Williams is cooperating to help this project get off the ground. Whether Nike is one of the sweatshop offenders or whether it’s some other company, we think the University should be moving toward selling apparel that is produced under humane conditions.
Last year, a group of very active students with the same conviction camped on the Johnson Hall lawn and University President Dave Frohnmayer did sign on with the Worker Rights Consortium. Then in February, the Oregon University System decided that universities could not hold their contractors to any standards other than cost. That trumped the University’s affiliation with any labor-monitoring groups and seemed to leave the issue dead.
Students and the campus community argued and argued about what was the right thing to do and which was the right way to do it. The Emerald’s editorial page presented letters and guest commentaries about the issue. James Hanley, an adjunct instructor in political science, wrote that students should demand contract incentives to convince companies to produce “no-sweat” merchandise. He added that then consumers should “rush to the bookstore to buy the new, more socially acceptable merchandise.”
Well here’s your opportunity. This project is more constructive than camping on lawns. It’s more conciliatory than cutting off suppliers who don’t immediately cooperate. If the clothing sells well, this project could offer companies plenty of incentive to produce humane merchandise: profits.
So kudos go out to everyone involved in making this happen. Dreiling, Williams and the students in the Campus Coalition for Fair Labor all deserve a round of applause. We do have one bit of warning for the community, though: Don’t let this step in the right direction turn out to be the final step. The administration cannot take this project and hoist it high in order to prove how humane the University is and how well it responds to student concerns. Until the University stops selling sweatshop apparel, it is neither humane nor responding to student concerns.
But this is a step toward a better apparel policy. Give it the support it deserves.