Monday, 8/25/97 ASUCLA to implement ‘no sweatshop policy’ for
purchases ASUCLA: New guidelines forbid use of forced labor and
under-aged workers
By Hannah Miller Daily Bruin Senior Staff Following President
Clinton’s lead, the Associated Students of UCLA (ASUCLA) pledged
Friday not to purchase or sell goods produced under sweatshop
conditions. ASUCLA will use guidelines Clinton set last April, and
rely on Department of Labor investigations to monitor
manufacturers. "We’re passing this to do what other college
campuses are already doing," said undergraduate representative
Margarita Gonzales, "to raise awareness (about sweatshop labor)."
Recently, it has come to light that major American apparel
manufacturers, including Nike and Guess?, have employed underage
workers in inhumane conditions in overseas plants. The ASUCLA
policy, passed by a 9-0 vote (with one abstention), will apply
Clinton’s guidelines to all the products they sell. The effects
should not be huge, as "the bulk of our manufactured apparel is
domestic," said Executive Director Patricia Eastman. The guidelines
forbid the use of forced labor, employees under 15 years of age,
and mandatory overtime greater than 12 hours per week. Companies
also must pay a nation’s minimum wage and provide employees with a
"safe and healthy" working environment. Although President
Clinton’s task force set these guidelines with the help of some
major clothing manufacturers, they are not law and carry no
penalties if broken. In addition, the Apparel Industry Partnership
that Clinton led faced its strongest opposition when it came to
actually monitoring business practices. Where the agreement stands,
it is still largely up to businesses to police themselves. Although
allegations against sweatshops have been substantiated, the only
prosecution that manufacturers have yet faced has been a few civil
lawsuits, individually filed by employees. Like many clothing
retailers, including the Walt Disney Co. and The Limited, UCLA buys
clothing from garment manufacturers and adds its signature label.
But buying from domestic sources only may not be enough. Although
sweatshop labor has been illegal in the United States for 85 years,
last year the Labor Department found that half of all U.S. garment
factories violate labor laws, many by paying less than minimum
wage. ASUCLA board members expressed worry about the broad wording
and implementation of the policy. "If these guidelines were read
specifically, they could be used against Arabic countries, which
may have practices that someone could consider to be religious or
sexual discrimination," said Dave Kopplin. "It’s too easy to take a
policy and use it arbitrarily." In addition to the other
provisions, the guidelines forbid discrimination on the basis of
gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation,
nationality, political opinion, or social or ethnic origin. ASUCLA
makes more than $56 million per year in its retail operations, of
which more than $9 million is in apparel and accessories. That’s
out of a budget of approximately $80 million. ASUCLA plies its
wares at the Student Store, the Lu Valle Commons Store, the Student
Store and the Health Sciences Store, as well as off-campus stores
at Universal Citywalk and elsewhere. The policy requires ASUCLA to
notify all its suppliers of the new guidelines and requires
eventual discontinuation of business if they are not complied with.
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