As universities nationwide face questions regarding their policies on sweatshop labor used to manufacture apparel, Brown administrators continue to research the proposed adoption of the Designated Suppliers Program, though it remains unclear when a final decision will be reached.
The DSP proposal requires that University apparel be manufactured in factories that produce primarily for the university market. Workers under the program receive a living wage and are represented by a labor union or another representative body.
The University currently receives its apparel, including that sold in the Brown Bookstore, from licensors that uphold the Worker Rights Consortium's code of conduct.
On Feb. 17, Vice President for Administration Walter Hunter attended the WRC's Annual University Caucus Meeting in Washington, D.C., where representatives from universities, companies and factories gathered to discuss the details of the DSP.
"Some universities expressed support for the goal of the DSP but had problems with some of the specifics of the plan," Hunter said. In particular, the DSP's requirement that factory workers be able to unionize has proven thorny, since unions in other countries can be corrupt or intimidating, according to Hunter. Still, Hunter said, "Legitimate labor organizations have been very valuable resources in helping improve conditions for workers in foreign factories."
Last December, Hunter organized a working group of 10 students, administrators and faculty to address the issue. So far, the committee has met twice and presented an update on its progress at the Feb. 14 meeting of the Brown University Community Council.
Hunter plans to present information from the Feb. 17 WRC conference at the next meeting of Brown's working group. In the coming months, the committee will continue to discuss the DSP and alternatives, but when Brown will make its next decision regarding the program is still unknown.
"The DSP is one approach. I think universities are interested in seeing if there are other approaches," Hunter said. "These are very complex issues, and there is no single answer."
The group is currently looking into the ramifications of adopting the DSP and deciding whether or not to advise the University to go ahead with the move. "If we make any changes, we want to be sure we've thought it through completely," said Elizabeth Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration.
United Students Against Sweatshops, the organization that authored the DSP proposal, depends on the support of universities to have a large enough body to enact it. According to its Web site, USAS aims to "create an alternative model (of factory labor) ... in which university apparel is produced in factories that demonstrate respect for worker rights, (and not just low prices) and in which worker victories are sustained and protected."
In the past, when individual factories have attempted to increase wages and improve conditions, they "lose contracts with the major labels, like Nike, Champion and Adidas ... and are forced to shut down," said Jessica Rutter, a USAS National Organizer. "If we don't win this campaign, many of the factories that have improved conditions will close down, and our work over the past few years will be lost."
Chris Eaton '06, a member of Brown's Student Labor Association, said that "current capabilities of the WRC aren't enough. ... Brown alone has clothes made in over 1,000 factories." Eaton said he is concerned that the University's deliberation process for approving adoption of the DSP might "take too long."
However, Huidekoper said there are many scenarios the University must consider before ultimately making the decision. For example, if the DSP restricts production currently performed in 1,000 factories to just three, jobs may be gained or lost as a result, according to Huidekoper. Similarly, factories might replace human workers with automated manufacturers.
Hunter said that the University must examine the proposal to avoid "unintended consequences that would hurt the very workers we're trying to benefit."
"Some companies feel that the DSP will change the competition dynamic," Hunter added, "because if their goods are produced in the same factories as other companies, it becomes harder to distinguish one company from another in terms of style, quality and similar factors."
