Students protest Russell Athletics

[Omaha Steve]

http://laborrightsblog.typepad.com/international_labor_right/2009/08/students-protest-russell-athletics.html

By Sarah Farr, intern, International Labor Rights Forum

http://laborrightsblog.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341bf90b53ef0120a54145a6970c-320wi
photo credit: Isaac Silver

This past weekend, close to 70 students from dozens of universities around the country gathered in front of the Target store in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C., armed with signs, leaflets, a megaphone, and abounding energy. As a large group began demonstrating outside of the store’s front entrance handing out leaflets to shoppers and passersby, marching in a picket line, and chanting slogans such as “Russell! Step off it! People over profit!” and “What do we want? Contract! When do we want it? Now!,” another group of students was quietly distributing informational fliers around the store that urged shoppers to boycott Russell Athletic apparel. What had Russell done to invoke such a committed and passionate reaction from these students?

Friday’s action was only one event of many that have been organized for a national campaign against Russell Athletic. The campaign to boycott Russell, organized by students from universities across the county in partnership with United Students Against Sweatshops and SITRAJERZEESH, the union representing Jerzees de Honduras factory workers, has grown into the largest-ever collegiate boycott of an apparel manufacturer. The campaign was kicked-off earlier this year after Russell announced plans to shutter its Jerzees de Honduras factory, the only unionized factory in that country, in October of 2008.

In addition to the work of students, ILRF and other anti-sweatshop organizations have been quite active in supporting workers. ILRF helped introduce a shareholder resolution at Berkshire Hathaway’s meeting this year given that Berkshire is the parent company of Russell. Another avenue utilized included ILRF and several other organizations in filing a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights concerning freedom of association violations within Russell’s supply chain. ILRF has also continued to follow this issue as you can see in a previous blog post. ILRF also called out Russell in its Working for Scrooge publication in Dec 2008.

Though Russell claims the reasons for closure are purely economic, worker reports of unabashed anti-union intimidation prove otherwise. Russell has a long history of anti-union activity, even admitting in the past to firing workers because had begun to organize. In the case of Jerzees de Honduras, the announcement of closure came in response to workers standing up for their rights to a fair wage, a safe workplace, and the freedom to organize, rights guaranteed under the International Labor Organization (an office of the UN) and national labor law. The announcement also came during the first round of negotiations between the company and the union, SITRAJERZEESH. The closure, if allowed to stand, would put 1,800 Jerzees de Honduras employees out of work. Unfortunately, the corporate practice of shutting down factories once workers begin to unionize is not uncommon. ILRF has worked with unions in many countries that have faced discrimination for their organizing.

While Russell may have hoped to get away with this act of blatant disregard for human dignity and international labor standards, it quickly learned otherwise. Russell Athletic is a major supplier of university and collegiate apparel to hundreds of universities throughout the U.S., and its Jerzees de Honduras factory is one factory where this apparel was produced. After learning of the planned factory closure, the SITRAJERZEESH contacted United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), and together the student-run, grassroots organization and the Honduran union have led an unprecedented campaign in support of workers’ right to organize. To date, 96 universities in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom have severed their contracts with Russell, thanks to student mobilization. The campaign will continue until Russell agrees to reopen the factory and rehire its union workers.

FULL story at link.