To the Editor:

Last September, Student Government Assocition President Evan Krauss formed a commission to discuss the Workers’ Rights Consortium (WRC). As the chair of this commission, I am proud to say that we have found information addressing many questions that, in the past, have been unanswered.

An important fact for all students to be aware of is that currently, the Barnes & Noble bookstore does not approve of sweatshop products or being associated with sweatshop products. Debbie Schneider, manager for the Barnes & Noble bookstore, has informed us that, “Barnes & Noble has long been committed to fair labor practices. As a company, we have been a member of the Fair Labor Association since 1998 and require all vendors doing business with Barnes & Noble to comply with the FLA code of conduct.”

There have been many questions regarding the difference between the FLA and WRC. Both of these organizations hold factory codes that are almost identical and post online reports of problems and improvements in factories. Their goals are the same, but they are different structurally and in their proceedings.

The WRC was founded in 2000 and describes itself as “an independent labor rights monitoring organization, conducting investigations of working conditions in factories around the globe.” The process of affiliating SLU to the WRC would first begin with the University adopting or creating our own Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct would need to “provide basic protection for workers in the areas of wages, hours of work and overtime compensation, freedom of association, workplace safety and health, women’s rights, child and forced labor, harassment abuse in the workplace, nondiscrimination, and compliance with local law.” If SLU affiliates with the WRC and a company we want to use does not meet the standards detailed in the Code of Conduct, SLU can reconsider our business relationship with them. In addition to the code, SLU would also be required to pay an annual fee of $1,000 to the WRC, which goes to the WRC’s general operating budget (40 percent of the WRC’s funds come from college and university affiliation fees).

The FLA was founded in 1999 by the Apparel Industry Partnership with a mission “to combine the efforts of industry, civil society organizations and colleges and universities to protect workers’ rights and improve working conditions worldwide by promoting adherence to international labor standards.” As stated earlier, Barnes & Noble is currently associated with the FLA. The FLA does not require an affiliation fee.

SLU USAS President John Carroll commented, “USAS would like to see affiliation with the WRC as an added measure of certainty that the majority of workers who produce our SLU-logo products are being treated fairly. SLU USAS believes that the most effective strategy for protecting and advancing workers’ rights internationally is a collaborative effort between industry self-regulation (Barnes & Noble’s affiliation with the FLA), independent oversight (WRC) and the input of SLU itself (in affiliation with the WRC).”

Lisa Reiter, director of Campus Ministry and member of the WRC Commission, said, “The department of campus ministry wholeheartedly supports efforts that encourage students to learn about the plight of the workers who toil in inhumane conditions to manufacture our clothing and other material goods, and who produce our food.” She also said, “If SLU were to decline to join the WRC, can we conclude that SLU supports sweatshops? No. Addressing fair labor globally is a very complex issue. I think that it is feasible to not join the WRC and still continue to advocate for sweatshop-free goods.”

While there are benefits to both organizations, several important questions to consider are: Are codes of conduct effective? (The WRC offers a link to an article questioning this also, “Codes Don’t Work.”) Do other options exist that address this issue that maybe a better option for SLU to consider? Is $1,000 to join the WRC a good investment of student money?

I urge students to inform themselves about the WRC, the FLA and the issue of fair labor practices globally. SLU USAS President John Carroll is also available to provide additional information.

Joe Piehl
Junior, College of Arts & Sciences
Chairman, WRC Commission