Monday, March 27, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 5
Universities attempt to curb sweatshop labor
KU policy, guidelines on apparel factories largely up to monitors
By Doug Pacey
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Shortly before spring break, Duke University did something to give sweatshop laborers a break. It withdrew rights to manufacture apparel bearing the school's logo from 28 companies because they would not disclose the locations of their factories.
About the same time, Princeton University issued a similar request to its manufacturers, which have until the end of the month to comply, said Bob Durkee, vice president for public affairs at Princeton.
Indeed, as sweatshops have become a hot-button issue in recent years, college apparel manufacturers like Duke's and Princeton's are facing tougher guidelines. But Paul Vander Tuig, director of trademark licensing at the University of Kansas, said he did not think that tightened guidelines would make a difference.
"My instinct is that the companies who didn't disclose their locations are either in really bad trouble or they don't do a lot of business with Duke," he said.
He may not be far from the truth — the 28 companies comprised 8 percent of Duke's annual royalty revenue.
Vander Tuig said he had no desire to learn the location of factories that produce apparel with the University's logo.
"From my standpoint, sitting in Lawrence and just knowing where the factories are doesn't do anything for me," he said. "I don't have a monitoring procedure in place to find out what's going on in the factories."
But the Fair Labor Association, of which the University is a member, does have monitoring procedures. The FLA has external monitors — non-governmental workers that inspect factories in other countries, Vander Tuig said.
If a factory is not compliant with the FLA's code of conduct, Vander Tuig said,
"I'm hopeful that someday there will be universal labor laws. It's going to take tough measures to stop it though."
Kyle Browning KU Amnesty International president
it would no longer be allowed to use the University's trademarks.
But Kyle Browning, Overland Park junior and president of the University's chapter of Amnesty International, said some people thought the FLA wasn't fully pursuing code violations. Browning said a new group, the Workers' Rights Consortium, was trying to enlist universities in the fight to impose stricter regulations on factories.
"The FLA was a good first step," he said. "But I know that there is a lot of concern about the FLA not having teeth anymore."
Princeton's Durkee, however, said that
ne did see potential for the FLA to be an effective monitor.
"The FLA hasn't even gotten its teeth yet," he said. "It just hired its executive director recently, and the staff has been in place for a few weeks."
Durke said the FLA would begin to monitor Princeton apparel factories this summer. It had monitored some factories previously, but only during a pilot program.
"They'll inspect the factories based on their size, what country they're in and their past history," he said.
There is no instant solution to curbing sweatshop labor, Vander Tuig said.
Browning said he agreed, but to a point.
someday there will be
"I'm hopeful that someday there will be universal labor laws," he said. "It's going to take tough measures to stop it though."
Vander Tuig said that he supported the elimination of sweatshops but that it was not the University's job to regulate factories.
"There is a middle ground on many of those issues," he said. "The FLA can be effective in dealing with these. We are making progress, and progress is the solution."
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