Members of UB's Students Against Sweat Shops (UBSAS) held a press conference at Founders Plaza on Wednesday. The protest was prompted when UB declined to join a program that would set stricter limits on the apparel companies that UB does business with.
According to UBSAS member Katherine Riehlman, the group sent a letter of complaint to President John B. Simpson on Oct. 3, urging him to support UB in adopting the Designated Supplier Program (DSP), a program that would ensure that all UB apparel was supplied from factories that practice fair labor laws and adhere to worker rights.
As of yesterday, club had not received a response from President Simpson.
UB is one of the almost 200 schools currently affiliated with the Worker's Rights Consortium (WRC), which regulates the development of sweatshops in factories that manufacture collegiate apparel.
When a factory is reported as having substandard conditions, they are inspected by WRC and given a six-month grace period to improve their working conditions before a school decides whether or not to terminate their contract. Riehlman calls DSP a stricter version of WRC's mission.
"WRC is only required to (investigate) when there are complaints. DSP ensures (that) when we buy apparel we will know of the factory's conditions before hand," Riehlman said.
The United Students Against Sweat Shops and the WRC developed the DSP and to date, 38 colleges and universities have adopted the policy, including the University at Albany and other SUNY schools.
Several UBSAS members gathered at the UB entrance and invited factory workers and other guests hoping that their demonstration would be the stepping stone into making UB school number 39 on the list.
Many held signs with messages such as "Sweat-Free UB, Adopt the DSP" and "Workers Rights Are Human Rights."
UBSAS member Joanna Boron gave the audience a brief history of the Designated Supplier Program and UB's affiliations that led to the development of this campaign.
According to Boron, the New Era Cap Company that was based out of Derby, NY, six years ago supplied caps to not only UB, but to major league baseball, and was in violation of the code of conduct set by the University in terms of affiliation. This led the several universities who buy apparel from the company to band together and demand that New Era adhere to these regulations.
New Era, which now operates in Mobile, AL, has done little to uphold the policies that the universities have demanded. Employees of the Alabama factory have suffered though racial discrimination, dangerous work conditions, improper notice of mandatory overtime, low wages, union busting and job termination.
UBSAS members encouraged spectators to take action after listening to the story of a worker at the factory who was affected by this substandard treatment.
Chris Napier, an employee of the Alabama factory, was fired along with 24 of his co-workers for attempting to unionize.
After enduring the harsh working conditions for years, they began meeting secretly in order to develop a union as a representative of the workers. According to Napier, many let their anger motivate them.
"The only thing the employees ask for is dignity - that, they don't have to pay for," he said.
The company responded by presenting the workers with anti-union propaganda, as well as interrogations and severe punishments for being affiliated with the union, including being fired, according to UBSAS group members.
"New Era has become a modern day plantation down South," Napier said. "Slavery is over with; that's the only thing we're trying to get them to realize."
Aaron Bartley who works at a factory in West Buffalo also spoke at the rally. He felt that people should be able to connect Chris' struggles to their own and that the only way to see action is through solidarity and persistence.
According to Boron, Trademarks and Licenses contacted UBSAS and demanded that they not have a rally. She said the opposition will not stop UBSAS from taking action until these workers receive the rights they deserve.
"A human life is worth more than $6 an hour when the living wage is $10," she said.
Riehlman hopes that the rally will encourage students to join the effort to take action against sweatshops.
"We're hoping to get more student awareness," Riehlman said. "I think a lot of people would be in support of us if they knew about us."
