Rally to push for workers' rights

Students Against Sweatshops will continue to prod UB to join the Workers Rights Consortium this week with a rally and teach-in Thursday at Capen and Baldy Halls.

The Workers Rights Consortium is an independent monitoring board that ensures that factories where clothing bearing the UB logo is produced are in compliance with labor standards.

UB is considering whether to join the consortium or the Fair Labor Association, a monitoring group that some campus activists say is too weak to get the truth from companies about their labor standards.

"We want to educate people why the Workers Rights Consortium is a better choice than the Fair Labor Association," said Maura Pellettieri, freshman English major and member of Students Against Sweatshops. "The Workers Rights Consortium is an independent association, where the Fair Labor Association is a tool of a lot of corporations."

According to Pellettieri, the Fair Labor Association is ineffective because 40 percent of the organization is made up of American university administrations and no labor groups are represented on its board.

"Workers don't tell the truth when they are asked by workers' right visitors," Pellettieri said. "All visits aren't announced, and the workers won't be honest of what is going wrong, because they are in fear of losing their jobs, because they are answering to their supervisors."

The Workers Rights Consortium, on the other hand, is comprised completely of various independent members removed from companies or organizations having to do with manufacturers, Pellettieri said.

The Students Against Sweatshops rally at will start at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in front of Capen Hall, followed by a teach-in at 6:30 p.m. in front of Baldy Hall.

Pellettieri and the other members of Students Against Sweatshops said that with this week's rally and teach-in, they hope to reach out to Dennis Black, vice president for student affairs, who will soon decide which labor organization UB will join.

Although President John B. Simpson has the ultimate say on which organization UB chooses, Black will make a recommendation to Simpson by Feb. 1, and group members want to make sure he chooses to sign with the Workers Rights Consortium.

"I doubt Black will attend our event, but the idea is to let him know what we're trying to accomplish," Pellettieri said.

Last semester, Students Against Sweatshops held another teach-in that included a representative from both the Workers Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association. Each gave presentations on their organization, answered audience members' questions, and concluded with a meeting with Black.

Another Students Against Sweatshops member, Patrick Bolger, said although both groups have pros and cons, the Workers Rights Consortium really takes an active role in making sure workers' rights are valued to the fullest extent as well as keeping working conditions up to par at all times.

"The Fair Labor Association is more quick to say everything is fine and doesn't address real problems," Bolger, a senior history major, said. "The Workers Rights Consortium takes a pro-activist role in making sure workers get safe conditions, and continue to."

Bolger added the rally isn't meant to be a protest event, but will have more of a positive connotation.

"Essentially the rally will hopefully show the UB administration and the public that there's going to be a decision that's going to be made soon, and we need to get people involved," Bolger said. "UB is a big power, and we hope UB takes a stance to guarantee products at UB will be made by workers with safe conditions. We want UB to be involved with creating a sweat-free work place around the world.

Pellettieri echoed Bolger and said she hopes the university makes the decision Students Against Sweatshops is banking on.

"To be honest, we're not sure which labor union the university will choose to sign with," Pellettieri said. "Hopefully there will be a decent turnout at the rally, and it will put pressure on him and show that students really do care."