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Earlier this week, the Licensing Oversight Committee recommended that the Georgetown not renew its contract with the Russell Corporation, an apparel manufacturer for the university, in light of allegations of union-busting against the company. The university followed through on this recommendation on Wednesday.
Russell announced in October 2008 that it would close its Jerzees de Honduras factory in Choloma, Honduras. The Worker Rights Consortium, of which Georgetown is a university affiliate, later reported that the closure was prompted by attempts to unionize by the factory’s employees.
This constituted a violation of the Licensing Oversight Committee’s code of conduct, which protects the rights of workers in factories that produce Georgetown merchandise to organize labor unions.
In cutting ties with Russell, Georgetown made the right call.
Infringement upon workers’ rights has no place in a modern economy, but Russell’s actions were more than injurious to its employees – they were hypocritical. Russell is a member of the Fair Labor Association, which states in its code of conduct, “Employers shall recognize and respect the right of employees to freedom of association and collective bargaining.”
Georgetown representatives had contacted Russell three separate times to inquire about planned factory closings in Honduras. According to Licensing Oversight Committee Chair LaMarr Q. Billups’ letter to Russell regarding the committee’s decision, earlier letters were ignored or responded to “perfunctorily.” The letter cited Georgetown’s Jesuit heritage as a factor in the committee’s decision to take a stand for the rights of factory workers.
This week, the matter attracted attention on campus when the Georgetown Solidarity Committee held a protest in Red Square featuring two workers from the closed factory. The protest ended with a march to the office of University President John J. DeGoia, where demonstrators demanded that Georgetown terminate its licensing agreement with Russell.
Whether or not the protest made a decisive difference in Georgetown’s termination of its business relationship with Russell, it brought needed publicity to the issue. We hope that all students emulate this passion and spirit of advocacy in the future.
We encourage all other institutions of higher education that do business with Russell to follow Georgetown’s lead. The University of Miami, the University of Houston and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have also cut ties with the corporation, and we expect other Russell clients to follow.
The efforts of the Georgetown Solidarity Committee and the good judgment of the Licensing Oversight Committee made an unfortunate incident a small triumph for the university. The next time we confront a moral question of this sort, we hope that our community responds with similar immediacy and vigor.
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