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{{Short description|United States student organization for worker rights}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox organization
|name = '''United Students Against Sweatshops'''
|image = StudentsMarchOnRussellHQ.jpg
|caption = Members of United Students Against Sweatshops march outside the offices of Russell Corporation in Atlanta GA, during a protest against Russell's worker rights violations at its Honduras factories.
|formation=1998<ref name="Kimura-Walsh2008">{{cite book|last=Kimura-Walsh|first=Erin|author2=Walter R. Allen |title=Power, Voice and the Public Good: Schooling and Education in Global Societies |year=2008|chapter=Globalization from above, globalization from below: Mechanisms for social disparity and social justice in higher education|series=Advances in Education in Diverse Communities: Research, Policy and Praxis |volume=6|pages=201–230|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yH98dpkdM84C&pg=PA215|issn=1479-358X|doi=10.1016/S1479-358X(08)06008-7|isbn=978-1-84855-184-8 }}</ref>
|abbreviation=USAS (pronounced "you-sass")
|type=Student activist organization
|location=North America
|membership =
|website={{URL|http://usas.org}}
}}


'''United Students Against Sweatshops''' ('''USAS''') is a student organization founded in 1998 with chapters at over 250 colleges and universities in the ] and ]. In April 2000, USAS founded the ] (WRC), an independent monitoring organization that investigates labor conditions in factories that produce collegiate apparel all over the world. The WRC exacts an annual membership fee from participating universities, which is used to fund its monitoring work.
United Students Against Sweatshops (also known as USAS) is an international student movement of campuses and individual students fighting for ]-free labor conditions and ]. USAS defines ']' broadly and recognizes that it is not limited to the ] industry, but everywhere. USAS believes that university standards should be brought in line with those of its students who demand that their school's logo is emblazoned on clothing made in decent working conditions. USAS has fought for these beliefs by demanding that universities adopt ethically and legally strong ], full public disclosure of campany information and truly independent verification systems to ensure that sweatshop conditions are not happening. Ultimately, USAS is using power as students to affect the larger industry that thrives in secrecy, exploitation, and the power relations of a flawed system.


The WRC works with ]s, ] groups, and local labor unions or federations, in countries where collegiate apparel is produced. At present over 180 universities and colleges have affiliated with the WRC. USAS is also proposing that universities sign on to the ] (DSP), which would act to source collegiate apparel from factories that respect workers' rights to form unions and be paid living wages.
USAS' three cornerstone campaigns are the Sweat-Free Campus Campaign, the Ethical Contracting Campaign, and the Campus ] Campaign.

In 2000, ] and other major clothing corporations renamed the Apparel Industry Partnership (AIP) the ] (FLA), in large part to compete with the WRC. The AIP, an initiative of the Clinton Administration, had become a discredited organization, because all non-profit organizations and unions that had initially supported it, withdrew from it, with the exception of the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF), who subsequently withdrew their institutional membership on the FLA Board soon afterwards.

Focusing on domestic as well as international ], the group has built coalitions of students, labor groups, workers, and community members that focus on a range of campaigns:

*requesting that ] Athletic Brand significantly alter its labor policies in Central America<ref> 2004-2012.0.84 cubic feet (2 boxes) of textual materials plus 83.8 GB of digital files.</ref>
*campaigning to get ] to pay severance pay to workers in Honduras laid off by subcontractors<ref>{{Cite news|last=Greenhouse|first=Steven|date=2010-07-26|title=Pressured, Nike to Help Workers in Honduras|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/business/global/27nike.html|access-date=2020-06-07|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
*protesting against ], board member of ] and president of the ], in relation to sweatshop conditions for Hanes workers in the ].<ref name="georgetown_JMatthews">{{cite web|last=Mahoney |first=Jack |title=TOS Workers' Protest Hanes Boardmember Jessica Matthews |publisher=Georgetown Solidarity Committee |date=2008-03-13 |url=http://www.georgetownsolidarity.org/node/109 |access-date=2008-03-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820000221/http://georgetownsolidarity.org/node/109 |archive-date=August 20, 2008 }}</ref>

==See also==
*]
*]
*]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Refbegin}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*
*
* Book by journalist Liza Featherstone about USAS ({{ISBN|1-85984-302-6}})
* in '']'' magazine

{{Authority control}}

]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 02:04, 23 October 2023

United States student organization for worker rights
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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United Students Against Sweatshops
Members of United Students Against Sweatshops march outside the offices of Russell Corporation in Atlanta GA, during a protest against Russell's worker rights violations at its Honduras factories.
AbbreviationUSAS (pronounced "you-sass")
Formation1998
TypeStudent activist organization
Location
  • North America
Websiteusas.org

United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) is a student organization founded in 1998 with chapters at over 250 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In April 2000, USAS founded the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), an independent monitoring organization that investigates labor conditions in factories that produce collegiate apparel all over the world. The WRC exacts an annual membership fee from participating universities, which is used to fund its monitoring work.

The WRC works with NGOs, human rights groups, and local labor unions or federations, in countries where collegiate apparel is produced. At present over 180 universities and colleges have affiliated with the WRC. USAS is also proposing that universities sign on to the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP), which would act to source collegiate apparel from factories that respect workers' rights to form unions and be paid living wages.

In 2000, Nike and other major clothing corporations renamed the Apparel Industry Partnership (AIP) the Fair Labor Association (FLA), in large part to compete with the WRC. The AIP, an initiative of the Clinton Administration, had become a discredited organization, because all non-profit organizations and unions that had initially supported it, withdrew from it, with the exception of the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF), who subsequently withdrew their institutional membership on the FLA Board soon afterwards.

Focusing on domestic as well as international sweatshops, the group has built coalitions of students, labor groups, workers, and community members that focus on a range of campaigns:

See also

References

  1. Kimura-Walsh, Erin; Walter R. Allen (2008). "Globalization from above, globalization from below: Mechanisms for social disparity and social justice in higher education". Power, Voice and the Public Good: Schooling and Education in Global Societies. Advances in Education in Diverse Communities: Research, Policy and Praxis. Vol. 6. pp. 201–230. doi:10.1016/S1479-358X(08)06008-7. ISBN 978-1-84855-184-8. ISSN 1479-358X.
  2. Brand Responsibility Project Records 2004-2012.0.84 cubic feet (2 boxes) of textual materials plus 83.8 GB of digital files.
  3. Greenhouse, Steven (2010-07-26). "Pressured, Nike to Help Workers in Honduras". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  4. Mahoney, Jack (2008-03-13). "TOS Workers' Protest Hanes Boardmember Jessica Matthews". Georgetown Solidarity Committee. Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-15.

External links

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