Honduran Workers present their story & demands to the President's Office at Georgetown Solidarity
After a hard-fought struggle, workers and students declared victory last week over the multinational Russell Corporation. United Students Against Sweatshops announced Tuesday that the company would re-open Jerzees de Honduras, the factory Russell closed in 2008 following workers’ efforts to organize. The site will now be called Jerzees Nuevo Día – Jerzees New Day. Russell also agreed to rehire 1,200 workers and officially recognize their union, SITRAJERZEESH.
The victory is truly monumental, coming on the heels of the largest boycott in the history of modern student activism. Georgetown was one of the first schools to sever its contract with Russell back in February, a move that the university made only after public pressure from students and workers (see picture on right). Over the past year, nearly a hundred schools followed suit – refusing to do business with a serial exploiter.
And so the tradition of struggle continues, building more power and momentum each year. In 1999, Georgetown students held a sit-in in the president’s office, forcing the university to affiliate with the Workers’ Rights Consortium. Ten years later, workers and students used that leverage to take on one of the largest apparel companies in the world. It is clear that university administrators and corporate executives can no longer act with impunity. They are accountable to a powerful international network of worker organizers and student activists. Victory over Russell is just further proof that this kind of shared struggle works. It is truly something to celebrate!!
Stay tuned for details on our victory celebration, coming early next semester. For more info on the agreement, click here.
