Students Deliver Open Letter to University Protesting Swearshops

Harvard Students Against Sweatshops (HSAS) yesterday distributed leaflets in Harvard Yard and delivered an open letter to the University in order to protest Harvard's investment in Kohl's, a clothing company with ties to a Nicaraguan factory with allegedly abusive labor conditions.

HSAS leaflets distributed in the Yard accused the company's factory of refusing to negotiate with unions and of violating health and safety standards.

Kohl's, in a press release on its website, denies that its connection to the factory is improper. Harvard Management Company

President Jack R. Meyer said he did not know about this particular issue and declined to comment.

HSAS began the protest by delivering a letter to the University's Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility, which is composed of faculty, students and alumni. The letter asked the committee to endorse an "upcoming shareholder resolution censuring Kohl's."

The letter also urged the committee to consider writing a letter "as an independent investor" urging Kohl's to "take action regarding these factories."

About 10 HSAS members proceeded to Loeb House, where the shareholder responsibility committee's offices are, and handed the letter to Martin N.H. Liander, the associate secretary to the University.

Members of the HSAS group, who were chanting anti-sweatshop slogans, were quickly ushered out the door by Liander, who declined comment for this story.

The group then took its protest to outside of Lamont and Widener libraries. Carrying large signs detailing the alleged abuses of the Nicaraguan factory, they distributed leaflets and urged passersby to sign an anti-sweatshop petition.

Many students obliged.

Harry G. Kimball '03 stopped to investigate the protest.

"I haven't had time to digest the issue but I am definitely a supporter of their taking action," he said. "It's worth it to get the word out."

Kohl's, however, disputes many of HSAS' claims. Susan Henderson, Kohl's vice president for public relations, said that Kohl's has "a very strong and long-term commitment to responsible manufacturing."

"We take allegations of workplace violations very seriously," she said.

Kohl's maintains a strict policy of enforcing fair labor standards with its vendors, Henderson said. In a statement, the company outlined these standards.

"Kohl's will only do business with vendors whose workers are treated fairly, are on the job voluntarily, are not put at risk of physical harm, are fairly compensated and allowed the right of free association and not exploited in any way," the statement read.

According to Henderson, Kohl's has hired two nationally recognized third-party organizations to monitor and report on any rights violations.

While the reports are confidential, Henderson acknowledged that some violations were found in the areas of health and safety.

She said that the problems concerned such things as restrooms, fire extinguishers in need of repair and chemicals stored improperly.

According to the statement, such violations will incur "immediate and firm action, up to and including no longer purchasing goods from the vendor."

HSAS offered a different account of the abuses in the leaflets they distributed during the protest.

"Managers abuse and yell at the workers, calling them 'stupid, useless work animals,'" the leaflet reads.

According to HSAS, the entire union leadership and many other workers were fired when workers requested an eight cent wage increase.