Administration Agrees to Revise Code of Conduct and to Lead the Way in Raising Standards for Apparel Workers at Home and Abroad

Berkeley, CA--On the heels of a spirited rally at the door step of University of California President Richard Atkinson last Friday, the University of California released yesterday a revised Code of Conduct incorporating amendments proposed by students. Since September, UC students, faculty, staff and community members have been pushing for stronger labor standards in garment factories making UC hats, sweatshirts and T-shirts.

In a letter to the University Coalition Against Sweatshops, UC Senior Vice President V. Wayne Kennedy described changes to the UC Code of Conduct for Trademark Licensees including payment of living wages, collective bargaining, stronger women's rights provisions, stronger health and safety provisions, and limited public disclosure.

The University of California is the largest public university system in the nation. "This is a victory for 10 schools," said Professor Richard Appelbaum of UC Santa Barbara. "UC's 10 campuses now have one of the strongest codes of conduct in the country."

"It's great that the UC is going to add "living wage" to its code of conduct, and we look forward to working with the University and experts in local areas to determine necessary wage levels in countries producing UC products," said Professor Michael Reich of UC Berkeley. The University of Wisconsin, Madison and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill committed to the principle of living wages and agreed to conduct research to determine living wage levels, however the UC has now become the leader in raising standards among large universities by actually agreeing to add living wage language to its code of conduct

UC's revised code also states that information shall be subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act. "While this is a step forward, too often apparel firms have claimed that the names of their contractors are a business secret that is protected by the Public Records Act. Without FULL disclosure of all contractors' names and locations, it is impossible to ensure that a Code of Conduct is being complied with," stated Professor Edna Bonacich of UC Riverside.

UC also announced yesterday that it would expand the number of students and faculty in the advisory group charged with proposing amendments to the Code and developing an implementation process. "UC students, faculty, and staff have a tremendous amount of expertise on labor issues, especially in the apparel industry," said Jill Esbenshade, a UB Berkeley graduate student. "And we look forward to finally sitting down at the table and working closely with the UC administration on this issue. We are pleased to begin the process now in good faith."

Friday's rally was attended by over 100 demonstrators, including students from five campuses, faculty, staff, community groups and labor unions. Congressmembers Barbara Lee and George Miller gave stirring speeches in support of the students. Holding colorful signs and shaking noisemakers, students chanted, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, UC sweatshops got to go!" The demonstrators later attempted to enter the office, but were blocked by UC police officers. They then sat down and blocked the entrance of the office. "President Atkinson has been pressured from all sides, not just by students rallying and sending petitions, but also by politicians writing letters to support a strong code," stated Wendy Hassen, a UC Berkeley student.

"We didn't have to resort to a sit-in, but we showed our strength," said Adelaide Chen, a UC Davis student. "We're proud to add UC to the list of schools who have adopted strong codes of conduct." Nationwide sit-ins and protests have led to victories for full public disclosure of factory locations at Duke, Georgetown, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina, Brown and Harvard. And several universities have committed to working on living wage issues.

NOTE: The revised UC Code of Conduct and additional information is online at Sweatshop Watch.