Duke Univ. "scored big media points" with its "bold
anti-sweatshop initiative," and other colleges are "lining
up to follow suit," according to Stella Hopkins of the
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Diane Bratcher, a spokesperson for the
NY-based Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility:
"It's really a terrific first step. But the Duke thing has
a couple of weaknesses." Under its new rules, Duke
licensees, who "ring up" $20M a year from Duke items, risk
losing rights to the name if they use prison or child labor,
allow unsafe working conditions or fail to pay at least the
minimum wage. The Univ. of NC -- whose licensees do $75M a
year in sales -- "expects to have an anti-sweatshop draft
ready in a few weeks." Critics of Duke's code say that it,
along with the Apparel Industry Partnership's guidelines,
"share shortcomings, mainly in wages and inspections."
Interfaith's Bratcher: "Typically, the prevailing or market
wage is a starvation wage." Lora Jo Foo, President of S.F.-
based Sweatshop Watch, a small, nonprofit, watchdog group:
"For it to be more than just a media-PR thing ... you have
to have monitoring, inspections and a sustainable living
wage. Otherwise, you're just monitoring to make sure
sweatshops continue" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/15).
MORE ON THE WAY? An editorial in the LAS VEGAS SUN
addressed the "boost" in sales given to UNLV by its strong
finish of the basketball season: "A university is not a
business. Higher standards are expected of colleges and
universities, and in this instance they should expect more
from those who make a profit from their association with a
university. The Board of Regents, which oversees Nevada's
universities and community colleges, should follow Duke's
lead and address this as soon as possible" (L.V. SUN, 3/15).
