Update on the Russell Campaign!

As you will remember, Georgetown was the second school in the country to cut its contract with Russell Athletic for blatant labor rights abuses that flew in the face of Georgetown's Code of Conduct. Since then, over 60 Universities around the country have cut their contract with Russell to show their solidarity with the workers of Honduran factories! This is a record-setting, powerful message from not only Universities and their students, but major retailers and the U.S. Congress! Check out the Rein in Russell Blog for more updates!

Background!

What's the deal?
The Case Against Russell Athletic
On January 30, 2009, Russell Athletic committed the most egregious in an ongoing series of worker rights violations in its Honduras plants producing apparel for colleges and universities. In response to workers standing up for their basic rights (clean drinking water, fair wages, an end to verbal abuse), Russell closed down its only unionized factory in the country, Jerzees de Honduras. Not only has Russell left 1,800 workers without jobs, but these workers are now on a computerized blacklist, making it impossibly difficult for them to find work in the future. For their courageous efforts to change the sweatshop conditions rampant in the garment industry, Russell has kicked these workers out on to the street.

Despite Russell's insistence that it closed the factory purely for economic reasons, there is more than enough convincing evidence to prove Russell violated university Codes of Conduct that demand Freedom of Association, including:

• Since 2007 in Honduras, Russell has shut down its only 2 factories where workers had organized unions. They have not closed any of the remaining 8 plants in Honduras where there is no union.
• Jerzees de Honduras has produced a wide variety of Russell products (sweatshirts, shorts, pants). Even if demand for one particular product is down, the facility can begin producing other products. Instead, Russell moved all their orders and even some of the factory's machinery to other non-union factories in Honduras.
• Russell announced the closure of this factory right in the middle of the first negotiations between the workers' union and factory management (October 8, 2008).
• On over 100 occassions, J.d.H. managers told workers directly that if they continued to organize a union, they would close the factory.

The day after the factory closed, two representatives of the workers' union arrived in the United States to urge universities to sever ties with Russell Athletic until these serious worker rights violations are fully remediated. United Students Against Sweatshops is coordinating the workers tour as well as a national campaign to pressure university administrators to cut Russell licenscing contracts for this clear cut case: Russell is a serial abuser of worker rights, and has flagrantly violated university Codes of Conduct for their apparel producers.

Which Schools Have Joined the Collegiate Boycott of Russell Athletic?
As of 5/14/09, following a wave of student & worker activism, the following universities are severing ties and/or pledged to not do future business with Russell Athletic over worker rights violations at their Jerzees de Honduras factory. We will continue driving business away from Russell until the company re-opens their Jerzees de Honduras facility at full capacity, re-hire all the union workers and complete the collective bargaining process. Demand that your school be the next to cut off Russell: Get Involved!

1. Azuza Pacific University
2. Boston College
3. Brandeis University
4. Brown University
5. California State University – San Bernardino
6. Carleton College
7. Clark University
8. Columbia University
9. Cornell University
10. Duke University
11. Fairfield University
12. Georgetown University
13. Grand Valley State University
14. Hamilton College
15. Harvard University
16. Humboldt State University
17. Ithaca College
18. Johns Hopkins University
19. Kent State University
20. Kenyon College
21. Loyola University Chicago
22. Macalester College
23. Marquette University
24. McMaster University
25. Montana State University – Bozeman
26. New York University
27. Penn State University
28. Purdue University
29. Queens University
30. Rutgers University
31. Santa Clara University
32. Stanford University
33. Stetson University
34. SUNY University at Albany
35. SUNY University at Buffalo
36. SUNY University at Cortland
37. University of California – Berkeley
38. University of California – Davis
39. University of California – Irvine
40. University of California – Los Angeles
41. University of California – Merced
42. University of California – Riverside
43. University of California – San Diego
44. University of California – San Francisco
45. University of California – Santa Barbara
46. University of California – Santa Cruz
47. University of Connecticut
48. University of Houston
49. University of Louisville
50. University of Maryland
51. University of Miami
52. University of Michigan
53. University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
54. University of Minnesota – Duluth
55. University of Minnesota – Morris
56. University of Minnesota – Crookston
57. University of Minnesota – Rochester
58. University of Montana
59. University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
60. University of Washington
61. University of Wisconsin – Madison
62. University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point
63. Villanova University
64. Xavier University