United Students Against Sweatshops

I expect that everyone on a university campus knows that sweatshops are repulsive. With children, men and women being forced into overtime, working 16 plus-hour days, being locked in their workplaces sometimes resulting in death. Most, if not all, people agree that they are repulsive.

Even worse is the use of these sweatshops by our own university which produces that Bulldog apparel that most are so proud to wear. Fresno State has licensing contracts with corporations like Nike and Russell, who use sweatshop labor.

Fortunately, there’s an alternative. United Students Against Sweatshops is a nationwide organization that fights against universities using sweatshops to produce college apparel. Located in the Dominican Republic is Alta Gracia, a factory that grew out of USAS campaigns. Alta Gracia pays its unionized garment workers a $2.90 hourly wage ”” three times the industry average.

Multiple universities have committed to using Alta Gracia to produce their university apparel. Unfortunately, Fresno State is not one of them.

Another entity that has resulted from USAS work is the Workers Right Consortium. The WRC monitors factories and reports on labor practices. The WRC considers Alta Gracia the most just and dignified factory it monitors. As of today, more than 180 universities have affiliated with the WRC. Unfortunately, Fresno State is not one of these either.

Fresno State students allied with USAS will be presenting a letter to President John Welty and his administration. The letter will ask Fresno State to affiliate with the WRC and use the Alta Gracia factory to produce Bulldog apparel.

So before you buy that next piece of sweatshop labor produced Bulldog apparel, think about it.

Don’t buy it unless it’s Alta Gracia produced. Don’t buy it until Fresno State signs on with the WRC and supports Alta Gracia’s mission. It’s time for Fresno State to stand for justice and not oppression.

”” Fresno State student against sweatshops