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The University of Wisconsin announced Thursday it will not continue its business practices with apparel producer Russell Athletic after their current licensing agreement expires in March.
The UW Labor Licensing Policy Committee recommended in December the university drop its relationship with the company after questions arose surrounding labor practices at the company’s Choloma, Honduras factory.
“We as a university and many other organizations were concerned that freedom of association issues played a part [in the closure],” said special assistant to the Chancellor for Community Relations Dawn Crim. “When we have a relationship with our licensees, we have expectations that we will be able to work together and work through issues like these. We still have yet to do that.”
While Russell said the plant closed due to economic troubles, Crim said negotiations between factory management and a union was underway at the time of closure, casting uncertainty over the reasons behind the shut down.
Brands and suppliers participating in business with UW are required to agree to a code of conduct that includes provisions for freedom of association, which is meant to protect worker rights, such as belonging to a union.
The Student Labor Action Committee, a UW organization, released a statement of support after the university announced its decision.
“This is the only way we have of sending a message to these companies that we don’t approve of the ways they are treating their workers,” SLAC member and UW senior Jan Van Tol said. “If people were being treated poorly on our campus, I’m sure there would be a big outcry. This is no different because these workers are connected to our university.”
Van Tol added the next step for UW is to enforce the Designated Suppliers Program, which would require suppliers to prove they meet a code of conduct before they enter into a relationship with the university.
Russell currently produces UW logo fleece apparel for the university. Crim said it first caused controversy when it closed another Choloma factory in 2007.
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Who cares?? if we can get it cheaper there do it and save some money
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The Student Labor Action Committee has no idea of what they are talking about!
Have they been here to visit the plant? I have and many times. It’s clean, air conditioned, and it puts food on their table and a roof over their head. And they do get paid more than their counterparts in China.
They are not forced to work there or any other factory. But the line is long to get a job at a place like that. Or would you prefer they join one of the gangs here and infiltrate the US as their only other choice.
There is no welfare or unemployment benefits here. This country can’t afford the cost. Every conceivable job in Honduras is taken. Honduras is the backyard of the US. Either they work here or come across illegally to take the job you are not willing to take.
Your choice. Just don’t be ignorant on your statement unless you can back it up.
Take if from a US citizen residing in a 3rd world country. The choices here are very limited and at least they are willing to work instead of being a couch potato collecting a welfare check.
I work here in Honduras and I visit virtually all of these factories I know first hand that Russell has shut down more than one of its factories with many other companies are following suite due to the low US demand for their products.
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I work with Russell, and I�d like to respond to the false accusation that we closed this plant because it was unionized. We had already recognized this plant�s union status for more than a year before announcing the closure. The Fair Labor Association, as well as an independent report it commissioned both agreed: it was imperative for us to close one of our three plants in Honduras because of the global economic slowdown. The independent report also confirmed the two reasons why we chose this plant in particular: 1) The need for products sewn there was lower than any of our other factories in Honduras. And 2) it was the only one with a lease we could vacate immediately, which saved us $2 million.
Once people see all the facts in this case, they come to a different conclusion. Princeton University, for example, decided to continue its merchandising relationship with Russell Athletic, Princeton Vice President and Secretary Bob Durkee said today.
Daily Princetonian senior writer Jack Ackerman today wrote: �The University relies on the FLA for monitoring, Durkee explained, adding that he was not convinced that anti-union sentiment motivated the closure of Russell�s Honduras plant. �The decision to close this factory was driven by economic conditions,� he said.�
Russell had recognized the union at that plant on October 3, 2007, months before the global slowdown began. A separate report commissioned by the FLA found that management and the union actually had a �cooperative rapport.�
As the FLA noted in its report: �If the primary motive of the company had been to frustrate the union, it could have closed JDH earlier and even switched production from Honduras to Mexico.�