Dye Affiliates Oberlin with Worker Rights Coalition

Do you ever feel that Nancy Dye and other Oberlin administrators don't care about social issues? On Monday they showed they do.

Dye met Monday with members of the Student Labor Action Coalition (SLAC) and signed an affirmation to join the school to the Workers Rights Coalition (WRC). "The WRC is a verification and monitoring tool to protect labor rights created by a national consortium of colleges," said Katherine Blauvelt, junior and co-chair of SLAC. The coalition uses non-governmental organizations to investigate apparel companies' labor practices. College junior and SLAC member Katharine Cristiani said, "the goal is to translate workers' needs and petitions into a mechanism that colleges use." In joining the WRC, Oberlin now has access to that information and can use it to determine what companies to buy clothing from. This will allow Oberlin an accessible means of determining which companies use fair labor practices, essential to help the College decide which companies to buy clothes from for sports teams and other school programs. Oberlin is only the fifth national college to sign onto the WRC.

College first-year and SLAC member David Jessop stated the importance of Oberlin's commitment to the WRC, saying "It will promote just labor practices, discourage sweatshop labor, and uphold the College's ideal of learning and labor." Blauvelt also emphasized the significance of Dye's endorsement, saying "We put Oberlin's name on these clothes."

Dye's WRC endorsement is SLAC's second major triumph in attempting to change Oberlin's purchasing policies. Last May, two years of hard work culminated for SLAC members when President Dye signed an anti-sweatshop Code of Purchasing, prohibiting the school from buying sweatshop-made clothing. Their affiliation to the WRC is a way for the school to implement the Code of Purchasing.

Although the Oberlin SLAC organization has been active since 1997, it only obtained a charter during the Fall semester. The association, which generally has around 15-20 people at meetings, has been important in raising anti-sweatshop awareness in the College. Last semester, it produced a sweatshop fashion show, highlighting six major companies that allegedly break labor laws on a regular basis. The group also circulated a petition aimed at curtailing Wal-Mart's purchasing from brands using sweatshop labor, such as Kathy Lee Gifford's clothing company. Blauvelt said SLAC also has a commitment to the greater Oberlin area, as a "really important part of the campaign is doing community outreach."

SLAC has continuing plans for the xpring semester and the future. The group hopes to bring speakers to the College and to provide more labor awareness activities for the school. According to Blauvelt, at a recent meeting with SLAC members, Nancy Dye "verbally agreed to work with students to create a public event celebrating Oberlin's commitment to fair labor."

The fact that Oberlin has become involved in the WRC, formed in November, in such an early stage in its development has many implications for the College. From the stroke of Dye's pen, Oberlin has clearly indicated its commitment to labor rights in joining with the WRC. Blauvelt said, The action gives the school a good chance of "having official representation on the board of the WRC if Nancy Dye decides she wants to take the opportunities."