Students Against Sweatshops scores a key victory

Nothing seems to faze Students Against Sweatshops (SAS). On Wed., Oct. 20, the group's name, written in marker on a large canvas, was fading in the pouring rain as passing students ran for cover. But nearly 50 students continued to rally outside of University President Richard Levin's, GRD '74, office, chanting, "What do we want? A living wage! When do we want it? Now!"

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH Students Against Sweatshops has campaigned long and hard for its cause—former coordinator Jess Champagne, BK '01, is seen here at a WYBC event last semester.

Since it was founded a year and a half ago, SAS has been demanding three actions from Yale: public disclosure of the factory locations where merchandise bearing the Yale logo is produced, a living wage for factory employees, and the employment of an independent, non-governmental factory monitor.

Levin's agreement to full disclosure of factory locations on Mon., Oct. 18, is the best proof of their effectiveness that the students could ask for. "This is no small victory," Charles Kernaghan, the executive director of the National Labor Committee, said in a speech at the Law School on Tues., Oct. 19. "Everyone in SAS should be proud."

SAS feels that the Yale Administration has been less responsive than those of other Ivy League colleges. Most Ivies had agreed to full public disclosure by the beginning of this semester, according to Yale SAS member Lauren Stephens-Davidowitz, JE '03. "It's been kind of frustrating," she said. "Levin has, for the most part, not paid much attention to us."

But this frustration might have been exactly what the group needed to build momentum. SAS, which had just 10 members last year, has clearly profited from more active recruiting efforts this semester. "The issue has definitely become more public," Stephens-Davidowitz said. SAS posters have become omnipresent on campus, and the group recently circulated a petition that received 1,700 signatures.

"Levin might go to sleep and think that full disclosure was his decision and that's nice," Arthur Liou, SM '00, shouted into a megaphone as he addressed Wednesday's rally. "But that's not true! SAS deserves the credit. We forced him to come to this conclusion!"

Helen Kauder, Yale's licensing director, said, "It's a misconception to say that the University's decision was only based on the students' demands. Nike's decision to disclose its factory locations a couple of weeks ago and other universities' decisions to do the same certainly influenced us a lot."

In any case, SAS sees the full disclosure victory as only one part of a continuing battle. "We're not forgetting about the living wage provision and the monitoring system," Stephens-Davidowitz said. On Tues., Oct. 19, SAS organized an event at which two workers from sweatshops in El Salvador where Yale apparel is manufactured discussed the factory conditions.

The workers, Sonia Beatriz Lara and Maria Eva Nerio Ponce, said the factories forced them to work from 6:50 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. without any breaks. "They told us we had to work hard—until we died," Lara said. Kernaghan called the minimum wage in El Salvador a "hoax." The government there considers food, but not clothing or shelter, when calculating the wage.

In order to establish an acceptable living wage, SAS believes that Yale needs to dissociate from the Fair Labor Association (FLA), which the University joined on Tues., Mar. 16. "The FLA is a sham," SAS member Jess Champagne, BK '01, said. "Its living wage establishments are unacceptable. It serves as a cover-up rather than a way to reduce labor abuses."

Kauder, however, said that Yale has no intention of leaving the FLA. "The FLA is the best existing mechanism available to raise workplace standards. The FLA charter recognizes that the wage provision needs to be worked on and it's going to do that." Yale is awaiting the results of a living wage study conducted by the Department of Labor.

Neither Kauder nor Levin was at Wednesday's rally. But SAS members slipped a copy of a new monitoring plan, drawn up by the national United SAS group, under Levin's door. "It provides an independent verification system, run by organizations that workers like Sonia and Eva trust," Stephens-Davidowitz said. Kauder said she had not seen the proposal but would review it soon.

Meanwhile, SAS continues to fight. "Just do it, Levin!" they shouted. Liou said, "We're fired up. We're fighting."

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