background, post-secondary anti-sweatshop legislation

No to collegiate apparel made in sweatshops

New law allows consideration of labor standards in purchasing

The National Labor Committee and other groups' exposure of sweatshop violations by Nike and Wal-Mart (among others) continue to bring the issue of sweatshop labor into the spotlight. Starvation wages, inhumanely long work hours, unsafe conditions, union-busting, child labor and many other abuses are all too common in tens of thousands of sweatshops both at home and abroad.

To fight these abuses, the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition joined with union partners New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), United University Professions (UUP) and others and the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) in efforts to stop taxpayer dollars spent by educational institutions from going to manufacturers who refuse to comply with appropriate labor standards.

New K-12 legislation
On Labor Day 2001, Governor Pataki signed a bill providing K-12 public school boards in NY the power to take a stand against sweatshop and child labor when making purchasing decisions. By removing the requirement that schools ignore factory conditions in selecting the lowest responsible bidder, the law specifically allows districts to require vendors to provide information about the conditions under which apparel is manufactured. Information about labor standards the school boards can require include but are not limited to: employee compensation, working conditions, employee rights to form a union and child labor. This victory for the sweatfree movement grew out of the Sweatfree Schools Campaign of the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition.

Legislation now extends to campuses
Based on this success, the law signed on August 6, 2002 removes a similar barrier affecting public higher education institutions (SUNY, CUNY and community colleges). Students at various SUNY campuses have been urging their campus administrators to affiliate with the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC), a monitoring organization created through student organizing on college campuses. In 2000, however, SUNY Albany and SUNY Central Administration ruled that state purchasing law prohibited the institutions from joining the WRC.

Based on that determination, SUNY New Paltz was not allowed to join the
WRC by SUNY Central, despite then-President Bowen's intent. A change in the State Purchasing Law removes the barrier.

The WRC monitors labor conditions in apparel factories that produce clothing for member colleges and universities. It requires public disclosure of factory locations, as well as other information, and it sets minimum standards that prohibit sweatshop abuses while improving working conditions. As of December 13, 2001, 92 schools were members, including Notre Dame, Georgetown, University of Michigan, University of California, Duke, Columbia and Cornell.

Modeled on the successful Sweatfree Schools legislation, the law amends New York State Purchasing Law to allow SUNY and CUNY colleges and universities, as well as community colleges, to set standards to ensure that apparel is manufactured under applicable labor standards. It would not require individual campuses to join, but would remove the law's current prohibition. To get to text of the legislation, S7791-A, click here.

Colleges and universities have an ethical obligation to improve labor conditions in the garment factories that make collegiate apparel. The law allows students and others to follow through with campaigns to encourage their college and universities to join the WRC. NYPIRG and the NYS Labor-Religion Coalition applaud lawmakers for this important step.

For more information, contact Pete Sikora, Coordinator, NYPIRG Campaign to End Sweatshops at 212/349-6460, ext. 117 or the Sweatfree Schools Campaign, New York State Labor-Religion Coalition at 518/ 213-6000, ext. 6294 or Tom Kriger, Director of Research/Legislation, UUP, at 800/342-4206.