University of Michigan ends licensing deal with clothing company that closed a unionized plant

[marmar]

from the NY Times:



Michigan Is the Latest University to End a Licensing Deal With an Apparel Maker
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

Published: February 23, 2009


The University of Michigan announced on Monday that it was ending its apparel licensing agreement with the Russell Corporation, becoming the 12th university to do so in response to the company’s decision to close a unionized factory in Honduras.

University of Michigan officials said an agreement under which Russell made T-shirts, sweatshirts and fleeces with university logos would end as of March 31 because Russell had violated the university’s code of conduct calling on licensees to guarantee the basic rights of workers.

Michigan joined Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Purdue, Rutgers and several other universities that curtailed agreements with Russell, a subsidiary of Fruit of the Loom, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway.

On Jan. 31, Russell closed its Jerzees de Honduras plant, where 750 of the 1,800 employees had joined a union, and the management and the union were in a contract dispute. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/business/24sweat.html?_r=1

[rurallib]

1. It may kill me, but I will cheer for Michigan for this.

[ogneopasno]

2. Where were they when Russell moved its manufacturing to Honduras?