March 16, 2006
Leading anti-sweatshop activist to speak at Clark April 5
Worcester, Mass. - Jessica Rutter, national organizer for United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), will be at Clark University to present a lecture and information session about the international network of student-labor activists. The event is free and open to the public and will run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 5, in the Jefferson Academic Center, Room 218.
Rutter began working at USAS in 2004 after receiving her undergraduate degree in African American Studies from Duke University. She was integral in the USAS chapter on Duke's campus, working in solidarity with farm workers producing food for her campus, garment workers manufacturing collegiate apparel, and laundry workers serving the Duke community, among others. She played a key role in supporting the unionization campaign of the farm workers producing for the Mt. Olive Pickle Company; a campaign that led to the first recognized union of guest farm workers in U.S. history.
USAS has developed a new plan for colleges and universities to require licensees such as Nike, Reebok, Adidas, and Champion to exclusively produce collegiate apparel at "sweat-free" factories. USAS defines "sweat-free" as those factories in which workers' right to organize is respected, and workers earn a living wage.
The International Studies Stream program at Clark sponsors this free, public event. For more information, contact the ISS office, at 793-7181.
To learn more about USAS, visit online at http://studentsagainstsweatshops.org