UW-Madison reaffirms commitment to licensing proposal

UW–Madison has reaffirmed its commitment to a proposal by the Workers’ Rights Consortium (WRC) and United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) to improve the working conditions of apparel workers around the world.

UW–Madison, which has been a national leader in combating sweatshop abuses of workers producing officially licensed collegiate apparel, was one of the first major universities to endorse the concept of a “Designated Suppliers Program” (DSP).

The university had proposed the launch of a pilot program, which was a modified version of the USAS proposal, requiring companies producing officially licensed apparel products to purchase 25 percent of their goods from factories that allow a union, representative body or the right of free association for workers.

The university now moves from the pilot program concept to concentrating its efforts on supporting a full version of DSP that can be implemented by a “critical mass” of major universities. Out of 43 universities attending the WRC’s annual meeting last month, only seven have signed on to the DSP plan.

“We agree that it is necessary to act in a timely manner to develop and adopt a uniform implementation strategy that a significant number of our colleagues across the nation can put into practice,” says LaMarr Billups, special assistant to Chancellor John D. Wiley.

A new round of discussions on the issue is scheduled to take place later this month.

In response to a resolution from UW–Madison Labor Licensing Policy Committee to adopt a full set of principles relating to DSP implementation, the university also affirms the following, Billups says.

UW–Madison supports the timely implementation of the DSP proposed by the board of the WRC and USAS that will:

• Require licensees to buy logo apparel from factories that pay a living wage that respects the associational rights of workers as demonstrated by the presence in a factory of a freely elected union, or other representative body, and/or processes that demonstrate the presence and right to a legitimate election subject to verification by the WRC whether or not the union or representative body is currently present;
• Sell the majority of their product to university licensees or other buyers willing to meet the same standards and pricing obligations as university licensees;
• Require licensees to pay these factories prices sufficient to make it possible for these standards to be met;
• Be monitored for compliance by the WRC or its designee.

During the past six years, UW–Madison and all other major universities have adopted a code of governing its licensees. The code addresses workers’ wages, working hours, overtime compensation, child labor, forced labor, health and safety, nondiscrimination, harassment or abuse, women’s rights, freedom of association, and full public disclosure of factory locations.

If violations occur, the licensee has the opportunity to correct the problem or have its relationship with the university terminated.

In addition, as part of a March 2005 contract renewal, the university has an unprecedented agreement with adidas-Group to permit confidential access to production facility information in which UW–Madison logo apparel is manufactured, while protecting proprietary interests.

Recently Billups and Dawn Crim, as representatives of the UW–Madison Chancellor’s Office, completed a second visit to the firm’s North American headquarters to examine production facility records and discuss compliance monitoring and other workers’ rights issues with executives.

UW–Madison has contracts allowing more than 450 companies to make products bearing the university’s name or logos. The products are made in approximately 3,300 factories in 47 countries worldwide. Approximately 150 companies manufacture UW–Madison logo apparel.