Dye approves SLAC proposal

Sweatshops clothing no longer to be purchased

This week College President Nancy Dye approved a policy that will require all College apparel to be purchased from companies that do not use sweatshops.

The policy, which was written by a subcommittee of the Student Labor Action Coalition, creates a committee and intern position that will work together to research companies the College buys from, and determine if their labor practices fall within the College's code of purchasing.

The policy takes effect without further approval, since purchasing is not governed by the faculty governance system.

"This is another progressive first for Oberlin," college senior and co-chair of SLAC Ursula Lawrence said. "We are the first school of our size to jump on the bandwagon."

The Oberlin students who worked to write and gain approval of the policy are part of a larger, nation-wide movement of student labor activists around the country, called United Students Against Sweatshops. While a handful of schools have signed on to the demands of the movement, many are resisting.

Lawrence said that Oberlin's adoption of the new purchasing code is most important as a step in this larger, nationwide movement.

"Oberlin alone isn't going to make a difference to a company like, say, Nike," Lawrence said. "But Oberlin coupled with every other school is a real pressure."

Lawrence said the collegiate apparel business is a $2 billion industry in the United States.

One aspect of the policy which critics' often question is the presumed price tag. SLAC and Dye, however, say the only cost of the new policy will be the wages of the research intern.

Lawrence said non-sweat apparel doesn't necessarily cost more than sweatshop-produced clothes. "Nike is one of the most expensive brands on the market, and they are one of the worst abusers," she said.

Currently the College buys from a whole range of companies, including Converse, Nike and Russell Athletic. Many of the College's clothes are made in sweatshops.

The policy creates a mechanism the College can use to screen companies, and enforce the new purchasing code.

A newly created research intern will be responsible for researching firms the College buys from, gathering information about the labor practices and reporting that information back to a committee made up of representatives from athletics, purchasing, the Co-op Bookstore, Student Senate, the faculty and any other interested community members.

The committee, which the intern is also a member of, will use the information gathered by the intern to decide a company's practices are within the College's purchasing code.

SLAC members were satisfied with the policy because it creates a mechanism that is flexible enough to accommodate a range of situations, but still powerful enough to make an impact.

The College will be bound to decisions made by the committee; departments will be required to stay away from companies deemed to be breaking the code.

"It becomes College law," Lawrence said.

The new policy will affect all apparel purchased by the College, including athletic uniforms, T-shirts, employee uniforms and others. According to SLAC members, the Co-op Bookstore has also expressed interest in cooperating with the code.

One sticky area could be shoes, which some athletes buy with their own money. Sophomore SLAC member Brendan Cooney said athletes will be given a list of companies that don't use sweatshop labor, and asked to buy only from them. School purchases will follow the same guidelines as apparel, however.

A big part of the policy defines the code companies must follow to be considered "sweat-free."

Companies cannot use forced or child labor. They must have established health and safety standards, recognize the right of workers to organize a union, pay wages competitive with the prevailing wage of the industry and area and limit the hours of work per week for an employee to 60, with 12 as overtime. Companies must not employ temporary workers permanently, or as a weapon against unionization.

The policy also states that the College will prefer companies that pay a living wage to their employees.

Once the intern researches a company the College buys from, the information will go before the committee, which will evaluate it and decide if the company is breaking the College code. The College will immediately stop purchasing from companies that violate the code. If the company changes, and is later found to be within the code, the College will resume business with them.

A large part of the policy is communication with the companies. Companies that are in compliance with the code will be told that their labor practices are a big reason the College chooses to buy from them. Companies that are not will be told what they need to do for the College to resume buying from them.

Lawrence and Corrina Steward, senior and co-chair of SLAC, know that there is a lot of specific information they still don't have about the issues, but they believe the policy creates mechanism that will let the College live up to a policy of "sweat-free" purchases.

As Cooney said, "As we move forward there will be a lot of redefinition."

For example, the provision about the living wage states that the intern will research what would be considered a living wage in different areas of the world, and that information will be used to help the committee determine if a company is complying with the code. The policy does not spell out the details of the wages themselves.

SLAC originally used a policy written at Vassar College to base the Oberlin policy on, but say they have changed it considerably, to fit in here. "It's pretty much homemade," Lawrence said. They have been working in the policy for about a year.

SLAC members were pleased with the reception they got from administrators. "There has been a lot of support all around," Steward said. "It's really nice to get support from the administration."

They are also proud of the impact students have been able to have with the policy. "We really feel like this is a great example of student work," Steward said.

No more Nikes: The Athletic Department will cease to buy Nike products under the new purchasing policy. (photo by Stephen Menyhart)