Penn State Names Committee To Look At Groups That Monitor Sweatshop Labor

04-17-00
University Park, Pa. -- A 10-member committee has been named by Penn State President Graham B. Spanier to examine the potential benefits of the University's membership in several organizations that claim to monitor labor practices in the apparel industry.

The move is part of Penn State's continuing effort to halt the use of "sweatshop" labor by companies producing apparel that bears the University's name. The committee will make recommendations to the president on a number of questions, including whether the University should join the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), a newly established group that had its founding meeting on April 7. Penn State already belongs to two other human rights organizations dedicated to improving conditions in overseas factories and communities where sweatshirts, caps, jackets and other goods with University trademarks are produced.

As a founding member of the Fair Labor Association (FLA), Penn State has been involved from the beginning in setting up a Labor Code of Conduct for manufacturers to follow to ensure that Penn State licensed products are made in proper work environment conditions. The WRC, however, rejects some of the tenets of the FLA. In recent months, institutions across the country have been targeted by student groups over the issue of fair-labor practices in the apparel industry. A handful of students at University Park have pitched tents on Old Main lawn in an effort to convince University administrators to join the WRC.

The University's newly appointed Advisory Committee on Apparel Manufacturing will be chaired by Dan Sieminski, assistant vice president for finance and business, and will look at all available information on the FLA, the WRC and the Alliance for Workers and Communities, to determine the benefits of belonging to the organizations. Committee members are being asked to review the likely impact any dues the University must pay will have on the institution. The benefits of belonging to any of the organizations will be weighed against the cost to students and the likelihood that the organizations will reach

their objectives. The group also will be looking at the overlap between Penn State's positions and the missions of the various organizations.

A report on the committee's findings is expected to be complete no later than the end of the fall semester.

Other members of the committee include Karen L. Bierman, director of the Children, Youth and Families Consortium and distinguished professor of psychology; Phillip R. Bower, undergraduate student majoring in geoenvironmental engineering; Philip J. Burlingame, assistant vice president for student affairs; Samantha Chirillo, undergraduate student majoring in microbiology; James H. Dunlop, director of procurement and materials management; Luis Garcia, undergraduate majoring in administration of justice; Dennis S. Gouran, professor of speech communication; Janis E. Jacobs, vice president for administration; and John M. Stevens, professor of management.

In a letter to committee members, Spanier briefly described Penn State's past participation and substantial involvement with several groups championing fair-labor standards, such as the FLA and the Global Alliance for Workers and Communities, part of the International Youth Foundation. Penn State is the only Big Ten school that has made such a commitment.

"There is no university in America that is more heavily involved in protecting workers and promoting improvement in the lives of workers and their families abroad, or that has committed more of its financial resources to this effort," Spanier said in his April 12 letter to committee members. "Nevertheless, there may continue to be opportunities to do a better job in this arena, and it is prudent in any event to monitor the progress of our investment in this effort ... and determine the value of various organizational efforts."

Penn State's dues to the FLA are projected to be about $100,000 over five-years. Penn State is also projecting a commitment of $350,000 to the Global Alliance for Workers and Communities during this period.

With the encouragement of students, Penn State joined the FLA in March 1999. The FLA includes representatives from the footwear and apparel industries, human rights groups, religious organizations, university interests and consumer advocates. The FLA, whose membership encompasses more than 100 colleges and universities, is headed by Sam Brown, who once headed the Peace Corps and VISTA.

The Global Alliance for Workers and Communities is a unique partnership of business, public and non-profit organizations dedicated to assessing and improving conditions in overseas factories and communities. The founding members of the Global

Alliance include the International Youth Foundation (IYF), Mattel, Inc., The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and Nike, among others. With the direct involvement of workers themselves, the alliance is designed to help corporations develop ways to respond to worker needs and aspirations on a factory-by-factory basis. The alliance partnership evolved in 1998 as a way to broaden global models of corporate responsibility.

In addition to these efforts, over the past few years, Penn State also has worked with the Collegiate Licensing Company's Code of Conduct Task Force, participated in conference calls initiated by the White House and helped sponsor national seminars attended by all stake holders. Penn State was among the first universities to publish on the Web the locations of factories producing Penn State merchandise.

"This is a very complex issue that has been closely monitored by Penn State," Spanier said. "The goal of all of these groups is to stop the abuse of human rights. We plan to continue to be a leader in promoting social responsibility and we want to make an informed decision about membership in any organization."

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Contact: Bill Mahon (814) 865-7517 or e-mail