Time to make UB sweatshop-free

The Simpson administration has faced some tough decisions over the past year. Administration reorganization, focusing UB's academic reputation, and hiring a new athletic director are all require in-depth analysis to get it right.

UB recently made the noble decision to consider affiliating with a sweatshop-monitoring group. The two groups UB is considering, the Workers Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association, are admirable organizations. But after comparing the two, it's clear that UB should join the WRC.

The two organizations of universities (and, in the case of the FLA, companies) are committed to protecting workers' rights in the factories where licensed merchandise is made. For a small fee - only one percent of gross licensing revenues on UB apparel and accessories for either group - UB can join a growing group of colleges and universities that show they care about how products bearing their name and logo are manufactured.

The WRC is an independent, non-profit organization that ensures merchandise of participating colleges is produced in compliance with fair labor standards. The FLA claims to be independent, however its board consists of six members, each representing a different apparel company, including companies with less-than-stellar workers' rights records like Adidas and New Era Cap Co.

Both groups would inspect factories of the companies with which UB has merchandise contracts - both in the United States and abroad - making sure those factories offer fair wages and working conditions. Their methods are slightly different, as the WRC responds to worker complaints and conducts proactive inspections of factories, while the FLA relies on committees of workers in the factory. Also, while the FLA's method has some merit in the sense that it encourages workers to organize, the fact the FLA board is dominated by the very companies being inspected casts some doubt over their abilities.

Believe it or not, UB has a lot to gain from joining a group like the WRC. First, UB would establish exactly the image a rising academic powerhouse should - progressive, caring, and self-aware. By making sure every product printed with UB's name or image is made in according to WRC standards, UB associates itself with the high-minded ideals held by other high-profile member institutions like Columbia, Cornell, and Duke Universities. That is good company for UB to be a part of.

Secondly, athletic apparel is a growing source of UB's merchandise income, and UB's athletic competition in the Mid-American Conference is making sure their apparel is worker-safe. Five of the 12 MAC schools have joined - including perennial powerhouses Miami of Ohio, Kent State, and Western Michigan - and UB would do well by keeping up with the better half of the "giant-killer conference."

Joining the WRC is probably the most cost-effective way to create this image, as UB currently has no way of protecting itself from being associated with companies that violate workers' rights. When UB signs a merchandise contract with a company, the best we can do right now is take the word of that company. It would be impossible for UB to inspect these companies on its own. Not only would the WRC check these companies for UB but the connection to the WRC could force companies to be completely up front with UB, protecting us from a sweatshop scandal that would be financially and politically costly.

Looking at the WRC there are few, if any, drawbacks to membership. It is a first-rate watchdog group that will look out for the world's workers and simultaneously elevate and protect UB's image.