For Immediate Release
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA STUDENTS END SIT-IN, WINNING AGREEMENT FOR PENN TO WITHDRAW FROM THE FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION
Students emerge after nine days, fast continues nationwide.
Philadelphia, PA-After occupying the outer office of University President Judith Rodin for nine days, student anti-sweatshop protesters left this afternoon after securing final agreements with the Penn administration regarding the University's immediate withdrawal from the Fair Labor Association. The 35 students, up from the original 13, reached an agreement with President Rodin at 6:30 pm last night.
The Penn Students Against Sweatshops began their sit-in Monday of last week protesting Penn's membership in the Fair Labor Association (FLA), a group charged with monitoring sweatshops overseas. They have pushed for the University to sever its ties to the FLA since April, citing its use of corporate monitors, lack of disclosure of information to the public, and lack of worker representation.
"The Fair Labor Association was never designed to correct sweatshop abuses," said Emily Quesada, a freshman. "It was created as a way for the industry to correct its image." The agreement stipulates that President Rodin will send a letter to the Fair Labor Association stating Penn's immediate withdrawal of membership, making Penn the first school in the nation to withdraw from the Association. A committee comprised of faculty, students and administrators will evaluate various monitoring organizations over the next few weeks and submit a recommendation to President Rodin. Rodin will also make publicly available the letter announcing her decision to withdraw.
"This outcome is a testament to student power," said Miriam Joffe-Block, a senior and coordinator of PSAS. "Students have raised their voices and shown that they are not going to tolerate their universities protecting corporate interests at the expense of human rights."
"We're all really happy about this decision," said Wharton sophomore
Brian Kelly. "It's been a long eight days, but we are proud that
our
university's name will no longer be associated with the corporate cover-up
that is the Fair Labor Association." Students cite the outpouring
of support from the Philadelphia community and from the United Students
Against Sweatshops, a national network of student anti-sweatshop groups
as essential to today's victory.
The students had been leading a nationwide 48-hour fast to call attention to sweatshop labor and president Rodin's lack of response to the Penn student protestors. However, according to the Penn students, the fast will now continue in solidarity with students at other campuses raising this issue. Students at over 60 college campuses, ranging from Sarah Lawrence to Northwestern to UC Berkeley are fasting.
******************************************************************************
Miriam Joffe-Block
University of Pennsylvania 2000
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~joffemir
Penn Students Against Sweatshops
http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~pennpan/nosweat.html
Box 0592
3820 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, Pa 19104-6134
(215) 417-0744