 "Photo: Submitted Photo")
Students marched on President Rollin Richmond's office last Thursday in opposition to apparel made in unethical factories.
Juliana Miller, liberal studies senior and Humboldt United Students Against Sweatshops president, led about 40 people in a chant. "Down with the exploitation, up with a sweat-free nation!" rang from the quad up to Richmond's office.
Students first met with Richmond last fall, eight months after Humboldt Students United Against Sweatshops started. He had not yet read the information they had sent him weeks before. University Center Director Burt Nordstrom had not informed Richmond on the issue despite the group's meeting with him and words of support.
Miller spoke prior to the rally. "I want students to know it's in our power," she said. "That Humboldt State sells apparel made in sweatshops and that there are solutions."
Sweatshop labor violates International labor laws by having child workers, 16-18 hour workdays, no healthcare, no earning of a livable wage, dangerous working conditions and abuse.
Humboldt students are asking that Richmond endorse a program for Humboldt State to purchase apparel from the Designated Suppliers Program. All of the University of California schools and California State University, Fullerton, have signed on to this program. Humboldt would join 42 other schools across the United States in acceptance of this program, among them: Washington State, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Duke and Columbia Universities.
Nordstrom met with students several times before the meeting with Richmond last fall. He said he thought Richmond would sign. But at the meeting Richmond expressed his ignorance on the issue and questioned students as to why they need be concerned about sweatshop labor.
Students arrived at Richmond's office last Thursday to find only his secretary. Provost Robert Snyder came out to meet the students in support of the Designated Suppliers program, and listened to what Miller had to say.
Miller said Humboldt State claims to take a liberal stance and has a graduation pledge that promises a commitment to environmental and social justice. However, products made in sweatshop factories and sold with the University logo on them don't correlate with Humboldt State's ideals.
Bonnie Stewart, botany junior, started the Humboldt United Students Against Sweatshops during the spring semester of 2007. She did a presentation on sweatshops in Vietnam for Maxwell Schnurer's speech class. In doing this she "realized too much about who these people are that make our clothes."
Her research led her to understand that this practice is core to the structure of our society. Corporations seek markets where people will work for any price, under any condition. Workers are especially exploited in third world countries but the Department of Labor estimates 50% of garment factories in the United States exploit workers, as well.
"I knew too much to just keep participating in a system I didn't think was cool," Stewart said. "I would never own a sweatshop so why would I pay someone to run a sweatshop?"
The Designated Suppliers Program is still waiting to be approved for schools by the United States Department of Justice. It will be a committee of labor experts, students, and university representatives. The Worker's Rights Consortium (workersrights.org) will work in combination with the United Students Against Sweatshops to monitor factories and turn existing sweatshops into law-abiding factories. Stewart said, "The United Students Against Sweatshops has made huge progress in the past. It is best known for calling out Nike as a sweatshop poster child in the 90s."
David Carter, sociology senior, said the problem is multi-national corporations try to get around labor laws by claiming work conditions are not their responsibility. Carter said, "I'd like to buy Humboldt State apparel but don't, because it's made with sweatshop labor."
Contact Humboldt United Students Against Sweatshops for more information: sweatfreehsu@gmail.com
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