As new University of Wisconsin apparel produced by a Dominican Republican based Alta Gracia is sold at the University Book Store, a worker from the factory advocated for a living wage and unionization Thursday night at Memorial Union.
At an event hosted by the Student Labor Action Coalition, a factory worker at the new Alta Gracia Apparel plant, Yenny Perez, said her promotion to unionization at the factory stemmed from a desire to promote better working conditions.
“The reality is that the experience I had is a pretty sad experience,” Perez said with the help of a translator. “I’ve been working at a factory for 18 years and it’s a difficult environment where many of us were mistreated.”
Perez said the support of both the major worker’s union in the Dominican Republic and United States students helped convince workers to fight for fair wages, despite factory conditions that dissuaded workers from attempting to unionize.
Special assistant to the Chancellor at UW Dawn Crim added their new right to unionize gives workers the empowerment to advocate on their own behalf. She added many of the workers were able to move out of poverty as workers could support their families.
“What’s wonderful about it is that it really signals a new business model,” Crim said. “It pays more than simply minimum wage so that workers can actually make a living and a career in the apparel industry. It takes freedom of association to the next level.”
However, Perez added for the Alta Gracia industry to succeed, she knew they needed the products to succeed. She said they count on students at U.S. universities to support their products, adding they put their “heart” into their work.
University Book Store president Pat McGowan said customers are buying and reacting to Alta Gracia products comparably to other Book Store products, if not more favorably. He said the knowledge the products are made fairly as well as the price point makes it competitive.
McGowan added the product line is currently limited because the factory is relatively new, but customers have responded favorably.
“I think the UW, as well as we at the Book Store, would love to see an expansion of it,” McGowan said. “We’d love to see more products available, and we’d love to see more customers buying it.”
He added both UW and the University Book Store would like to see an expansion in the factory’s products and in the number of customers buying their products.
Perez also said she hoped Alta Gracia would be an example for future workers and companies to support higher wages and working conditions.
“I personally believe this is going to serve as a positive example to companies so their working conditions can be attained globally,” Perez said.
Crim added UW has always supported companies, which support the same values and social responsibility measures at Madison.
“It’s not necessarily a benefit to UW,” Crim said. “What it is, is UW being able to contribute to something that is empowering for other people.”
