Are you a member of an organization? Please contact Rod Palmquist: rod(at)usasnet.org or 202-667-9328

Are you a faculty member?
Show your support with our online petition!

Statement in Support of United Students
Against Sweatshops' Sweat-Free Campus Campaign

It is now more than five years since colleges and universities began adopting anti-sweatshop codes of conduct. Not enough has changed in factories producing collegiate apparel. Apparel workers around the world too often face abusive treatment, excessive working hours, wages that are woefully inadequate to meet basic needs, and the denial of universally acknowledged associational rights when they organize for improvements. While codes of conduct have led to progress in some factories, these gains have been rendered modest and fragile by the sourcing practices of the name brands and stores: instead of being rewarded with more business, factories with good conditions are placed under tremendous pressures to cut costs in order to maintain orders and stay afloat.

In light of these conditions, we, the undersigned, strongly support United Students Against Sweatshops' (USAS) new sweat-free campus proposal. Under this proposal, contracts for campus logo apparel would be produced in designated supplier factories that are distinguished by that the fact that in them workers are able to enforce their rights through union representation and are paid a living wage. The goal of this proposal is to supply these factories with steady orders from university licensees at prices adequate to allow full respect for workers' rights.

We realize this proposal challenges current practices, but we believe it is fully achievable. The new sweat-free campus proposal strengthens existing initiatives in order to bring us closer to the day when university apparel is truly sweatshop free.

See the updated list of signatories