UNC Student Action with Workers Designated Suppliers Program Movement

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Student Action with Workers (SAW) Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) movement, or the UNC SAW DSP movement, is a local social movement attempting to have the University agree to abide by the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) in order to help support improvements in the working conditions of the workers who make the University’s apparel.

The Designated Suppliers Program

Designated Suppliers Program

The Designated Suppliers Program is a procurement standard proposed by the Worker Rights Consortium and United Students Against Sweatshops. The program was designed to promote the use by US universities of suppliers that make use of a defined set of fair labor practices...

(DSP) was presented to the UNC Administration by the Student Action with Workers organization in 2005. For the past four years, the Student Action with Workers organization (SAW) has been working towards having the University adopt the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) to “show that UNC respects the rights of garment workers who make (their) licensed apparel”.

Purpose of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Student Action with Workers (SAW) organization’s Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) Movement

The Student Action with Workers organization at UNC have started this campaign with the goal to one day have the University affiliate with the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) and, in turn, support the rights of the workers in the garment industry that make many of the University’s licensed apparel. The members of the UNC SAW campaign believe many of the factory workers that create the University’s apparel deserve better working conditions and wages. They support these workers and help fight for their rights by trying to convince the University’s Administration to agree to affiliate with the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP).

Designated Suppliers Program (DSP)

“The Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) is a procurement standard proposed by the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) and United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS).” The Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) is designed to help protect the rights of the garment workers who make university logo apparel.

When a university agrees to become a licensee of the DSP, they are then required to source most of their university logo apparel from supplier factories that have been determined to be in compliance with the DSP’s obligations to respect the rights of their employees, specifically “the right to organize and bargain collectively and the right to be paid a living wage”.

Factory Standards to Qualify as a Designated Supplier

The factory must be compliant with all internationally recognized labor standards.

The factory must pay all employees a living wage.

The factory must show respect for all of their worker’s rights, including their right to unionize.

Licensee (University) Obligations under the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP)

Sourcing Requirement: Licensees are required to source a certain percentage of their university logo apparel from designated supplier factories.

Fair Price Standard: All Licensees is required to pay each designated supplier a price for their product that is adequate to facilitate the factory to be able to produce within the appropriate labor standards set.

Majority Collegiate Production Requirement: Licensees must ensure that the Designated Supplier factory has at least 50% of their annual total output in the collegiate department.

Long-term Production Agreements: Licensees must enter into long-term production agreement contracts, contracts that last for at least 3 years, with all of their Designated Suppliers.

UNC’s Licensing Labor Code (1999-Present)

Under the recommendation of the University’s Licensing Labor Code Advisory Committee, the University adopted a labor code in February 1999 that helped support fair working conditions in the factories that produced the University’s logoed apparel. The University also became paying members of the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) and the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to help facilitate implementation and enforcement of the Licensing Labor Code that had been adopted.

According to the Licensing Labor Code adopted, the University is required to only affiliate with licensees that:

Pay employees at least the minimum wage required by local law or the local prevailing industry wage, whichever is higher.

Provide legally mandated benefits.

Do not allow employees to work more than 48 hours per week and 12 hours overtime or more than the limits on regular and overtime hours allowed by the law of the country of manufacture.

If the country of manufacture does not have laws to limit the hours of work, the employee must not be allowed to work more than the regular work week in that country plus 12 hours overtime.

Allow employees must be allowed at least one day off in every seven day period.

Ensure that employees are provided compensation for overtime hours at the legally required premium rate.

Act in compliance with all International Labor Organization Child labor Laws.

Do not exhibit any form of forced labor.

Provide a healthy and safe working environment.

Do not discriminate against their employees in employment, including hiring, salary, benefits, advancement, discipline, termination or retirement, on the basis of gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, political opinion, or social or ethnic origin.

Do not subject their employees to any form of physical, verbal, psychological, or sexual abuse or harassment.

Do not use corporal punishment.

Allow their employees the right to organize and bargain collectively.

Under the Licensing Labor Code, the licensees are also required to disclose the location of the factories where the University’s logoed apparel is being produced to the University. The University then gives these lists of locations to the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) and the Fair Labor Association (FLA). The University’s Licensing Labor Code Advisory Committee (LLCAC) would manage any inquiries in or problems with the implementation and enforcement of the Licensing Labor Code.

Arguments against the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP)

The Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) was brought to the University’s attention in the Fall of 2005 because many believed that the University’s Licensing Labor Code was ineffective and unenforced. After being reviewed by the University’s Licensing Labor Code Advisory Committee (LLCAC) and Chancellor Moeser, the University rejected the program citing these arguments as their main concerns with the proposal:

Having a Defined Set of Factories to concentrate on could limit the influence of the University.

Under the University’s current Licensing Labor Code, Licensees must respect their factory employees’ right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, but it does not “require the presence of labor union or other representative employee body.” Requiring the presence of a labor union or other representative body does not allow the University to receive products from factories that have employees who have simply chosen not to organize.

The change in Licensee/Supplier Relationship between the University and the suppliers has the potential impact the net revenue; specifically it may bring about a decline in revenue. A decline in revenue would affect need-based and merit-based scholarships because they are supported by the net revenue from the Trademark Licensing Program.

There is a potential for anti-trust claims and legal issues.

There is no universal definition set of a “living wage”.

“The ability of the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) to oversee the administration, implementation, verification, and enforcement of the DSP system has not been assessed, and the magnitude of any related costs is not known.”

Arguments in favor the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP)

The Student Action with Workers (SAW) organization believes that the university is ineffectively upholding their labor codes. There is a strong lack of enforcement against suppliers that are not in compliance with the Licensing Labor Code, and the “codes still allow UNC apparel to be made under sweatshop conditions, including poverty wages and no freedom of association.”
Even the members of the University’s Licensing Labor Code Advisory Committee (LLCAC) agree that the University “should seek to improve the effectiveness of the University’s Licensing Labor Code of Conduct adopted in 1999.”
A study conducted by the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) was presented on April 1, 2008 at the University’s Licensing Labor Code Advisory Committee (LLCAC) meeting. In this study, 1,000 factories in 12 countries that produce collegiate apparel were researched and the WRC found many violations. Out of the 1,000 factories surveyed, listed below are the percentage that were found to be in violation of rights that should be protected under the University’s Licensing Labor Code:

•92% – forced overtime

•92% - verbal abuse

•94% – violated freedom of association

•84% - did not explain pay

•71% – excessive overtime

•59% – did not pay legally mandated overtime

Finally, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) is a top seller of licensed apparel in America, therefore many SAW members believe that having the University sign on to affiliate with the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) will then cause the campaign to reach great success nationally.

Student Action with Workers (SAW) Information

Student Action with Workers (SAW) was founded at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in 2003.

SAW’s goal is to mobilize “support for labor solidarity campaigns, especially with local and campus workers and workers around the world who manufacture UNC-CH licensed apparel.”6 They hope to raise awareness and help support the resolution of the injustices against the workers in the UNC community. They also wish to “build solidarity between students and workers.”

“SAW is an affiliate member of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), a national student labor solidarity network.”

Local Allies

•SURGE

•UE Local 150, or The North Carolina Public Service Workers' Union

•UNC Employee Forum

•UNC Progressive Faculty Network

•NC HOPE Coalition

•Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKONJ)

•Chapel Hill – Carrboro NAACP

National Allies

•FLA Watch, or The Fair Labor Association (FLA) Watch

•Jobs With Justice

•United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS)

•Worker Rights Consortium (WRC)

Student Action with Workers (SAW) Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) Campaign Activity

April 1999 – Sit-in at Interim Chancellor McCoy’s Office
•UNC students affiliated with United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), held a sit-in for four days in interim Chancellor Bill McCoy’s South Building office. Their demands were for the University to set in place labor codes of conduct, require licensees to disclose the locations of their factories, and to have UNC affiliate with the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC).
•The sit-in was a success and all of their demands were met.

Fall 2005 – Presenting the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP)
•The Student Action with Workers (SAW) organization presents the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) to Chancellor Moeser and the University’s Licensing Labor Code Advisory Committee (LLCAC) and asks to meet with Chancellor Moeser to discuss the issues, but is not allowed a chance to do so.

August 2007 – Rejection of the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP)
•“Chancellor Moeser officially rejects the DSP, and pulls UNC out of the DSP working group.”

November 2007 – Letter from SAW to Chancellor Moeser
•A letter protesting Chancellor Moeser’s decision to reject the DSP is presented to Chancellor Moeser, yet he refuses to respond to any of the SAW members concerns.

April 10, 2008 – Information Table in the Historic Quad, (also known as Polk Place)

Members of SAW set-up an information table and read stories of workers who are forced to labor in terrible, and often illegal, work conditions to the people passing by in an attempt to gain public sympathy and support for the cause.

April 16, 2008 – Deadline and Meeting with Chancellor Moeser

The deadline set by SAW for the University to adopt the DSP or face further protesting was April 16, 2008. For three years, SAW had been attempting to get Chancellor Moeser to agree to a meeting. On April 16, 2008, he finally agrees to meet.
The meeting is “unproductive” and unsuccessful, and both sides leave disgruntled. The SAW members decide to protest against Chancellor Moeser and the University’s refusal to affiliate with the DSP.

April 17 – May 2, 2008 – Sit-in at Chancellor Moeser’s Office

10 SAW members start a sit-in, or a non-violent occupation, in the lobby of the South Building where Chancellor Moeser’s Office is located.
After 16 days of peaceful protest, on May 2, 5 SAW members who were occupying Chancellor Moeser’s office get arrested for “refusing to disperse” and “not complying with the police officers”.

August 18, 2008 – SAW Sit-in Protestors Found Guilty

The 5 SAW anti-sweatshop
Anti-sweatshop
Anti-Sweatshop refers to campaigning movements to improve the conditions of workers in Sweatshops, i.e. manufacturing places characterized by low wages, poor working conditions and often child labor...

protestors who were arrested at the end of a 16 day sit-in at Chancellor Moeser’s office in response to his refusal to accept the DSP were found guilty on charges of failure to disperse.

Conclusion

Even though the University has yet to agree to accept the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP), the Student Action with Workers Designated Supplier Program Movement will continue on. The supporters will continue to fight to try and help support the rights of the garment workers who produce our university apparel. Linda Gomaa, an active SAW member and one of the 5 members who were arrested after the 16 day sit-in at Chancellor Moeser’s office, spoke for the SAW members in response to Chancellor Moeser’s rejection of the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) and said, “We refused to take his inaction as a defeat.” The Student Action with Workers (SAW) organization at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) continues to fight for the acceptance of the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) by the University to help battle sweatshop labor production of university apparel.

External links

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