Action starts with activism

Even though the results were not exactly to their liking, UB's Students Against Sweatshops organization struck a major blow for their cause when the UB administration chose to join both the Fair Labor Association and the Worker Rights Consortium this weekend. UBSAS wanted President Simpson and Vice President for student affairs Dennis Black to choose to join only the WRC, feeling joining the corporate-sponsored FLA as well would compromise the efforts of workers' rights groups. They have a point, and UB should revisit the decision to join the FLA, but UBSAS should feel proud that it was able to force real change in the attitude of the university towards workers' rights.

Without the efforts of UBSAS it is unlikely the issue of joining either workers' rights protection committee would have ever been visited, let alone decided on. Workers' rights is an issue that is dictated as much by economics as it is by social activism, and it is simply cheaper to not worry about where goods are made, as long as they are cheap. UB's decision to join the groups will cost UB $2,000 per year for the two memberships, and potentially more, if the memberships result in contracts with slightly more costly, but safer, manufacturers. Granted, the FLA membership, a group considered softer on labor rights, could potentially undermine the WRC's more stringent analysis, but the choice to be affiliated with both shows how effective UBSAS has become over the years.

For the last two-and-a-half years, there has not been a campus group more consistently and vocally active for its cause than UB Students Against Sweatshops. Looking over Spectrum archives for the past few years shows significant protests and demonstrations by the group almost every semester since 2001. From the WRC/FLA debate to its opposition to UB's contract with a sweatshop-utilizing New Era, UBSAS has been tireless in its pursuit of improving the working conditions of the people who make UB merchandise.

This group has proven it cares more about UB's image than some of the most ardent spirit clubs, choosing to improve UB's image by changing its policies, not by showing who can shout "Let's Go Buffalo" the loudest. Its protests are often loud and colorful, but when UBSAS wants UB to stop doing business with a company it thinks treats workers poorly it is not merely rebelling against authority. It tries to elevate UB's image by monitoring who UB is associated with. A company that treats its workers poorly does not fit with UB's image as a culturally diverse and fair institution. UBSAS strives to improve UB's business connections, making UB stronger on a larger scale.

With their recent policy-changing success, UBSAS is unlikely to back down on its efforts. It stands as proof that even a small group of students can make a big difference with energy and persistence. When apathy seems to be the trendy course of action for most students, UBSAS doesn't back down, and its passion could be infectious. If other UB clubs catch its energy, imagine what else could change - bus service could improve, fees could be reduced, or recycling could improve. The possibilities are endless.

The efforts of UBSAS are reminiscent of an earlier time in UB's history that only some of the senior faculty remembers - a time when UB was a hotbed for progressive social and political thought and action. In the fall and spring, before snow buries the campus, students will often see phrases like "No to New Era" or "Workers' Rights Now" scribbled in chalk on UB sidewalks allover the Spine. Many don't understand or even care what these slogans mean, but their mere presence adds energy to the campus. UB has yet to return to the idealism of its relative youth since the 1970 protests and riots, but groups like UBSAS remind us that activism is not dead yet.