Russell Athletic loses support
By Ben Thaler
March 3, 2009 10:48 p.m.
Several national universities have cut their business ties with Russell Athletic, a major producer of collegiate apparel, due to the company’s alleged unfair labor practices.
However, Associated Students UCLA, which directs operations for the UCLA store, among other ventures, has not made a decision regarding its partnership with Russell.
The allegations refer to Russell’s actions at its production plant in Honduras, which closed down last October after workers tried to unionize.
Scott Nova, the executive director of the Worker’s Rights Consortium, an independent labor monitoring group sponsored by 185 universities, said Russell has carried out a campaign to punish workers trying to exercise basic rights.
“They fired 145 workers at two factories for expressing their right to unionization,” Nova said. He added that the corporation carried through with its promise to close the factory in order to stop unionization.
“Government inspectors were not even allowed to investigate the factories. … Russell has demonstrated utter contempt for the labor standards that universities adhere to,” he said.
ASUCLA operates one of the largest contracts with Russell and is reassessing its relationship due to the association’s commitment to fair labor practices, said ASUCLA undergraduate representative Bernice Shaw.
“Our primary goal as a board is to have Russell Athletics change their policies with regards to union organization and act as a responsible corporation,” Shaw added.
Cindy Holmes, the trademark and licensing director for ASUCLA, said the association is in extensive conversations with Russell about its practices.
“Russell Corporation must take significant steps above and beyond those which it has publicly communicated to date in order to address any harm that may have been inflicted and to assure both immediate and ongoing improvement in its labor code practices,” Holmes said.
Holmes added that ASUCLA is coordinating with other UC campuses and the UC Office of the President to question whether remedial steps taken by Russell adequately satisfy the UC system’s labor requirements.
Victor Weisberg, director of the responsible endowment fund for the Undergraduate Students Association Council president’s office, said they are looking to facilitate dialogue between Russell and ASUCLA.
Weisberg, a third-year environmental science student, added that he believes talking directly to the corporation is more effective than simply ending the contract.
At least 12 universities, including Harvard, Duke and Columbia, have ended their licensing apparel agreement with Russell, and several more are considering following suit, according to The New York Times.
Russell Athletics could not be reached for comment, but The New York Times quoted a company report stating that it acknowledged “management mistakes” and vowed to improve its compliance by allowing third-party inspectors.
Nova said he is pleased with the actions that the universities have taken to defend their codes of conduct and added that he believes Russell will work to rectify the situation.
The first steps that Russell Athletics should take include reopening the factory and reimbursing workers for the closure, he said.
