[image from Daily Trojan, 11/17/06]

After going naked didn’t do the trick last year, USC students staged a sit-in at USC President Steve Sample’s office yesterday to protest the labor exploitation that produces sweatshirts and other apparel with USC logos.

Six hours later, after letters threatening suspension and calls to their parents from university administrators, the 13 students ended the sit-in, according to the LA Times.

President Sample has refused to meet with students about labor issues in the past; he didn’t show up in his office during those 6 hours either.

What the students — members of SCALE (Student Coalition Against Labor Expolitation, which I wrote about here) — want is simple: For USC to join the Worker Rights Consortium, a national organization advocating better factory labor conditions, and abide by the consortium’s Designated Suppliers Program, ensuring workers the right to form unions.

Many universities — including the entire UC system — has already signed on to the Worker Rights Consortium. In fact, Liza Featherstone of The Nation points out that “168 colleges and universities have done this, making USC quite a holdout on this issue. ”

Yet USC’s spokesman James Grant called WRC “the radical end.” At the moment, USC’s currently a member of the Fair Labor Association, which gives a lot of power to the corporations that actually have a hand in creating these sweatshop problems to begin with. See a quick side-by-side comparison here (doc).

I wish the LA Times article had been a little more thorough, actually giving a little space to illustrating the difference between the WRC and FLA, instead of just doing a “this side says this, that side says that” type thing that leaves people clueless as to what the real debate is over. The LA Times article also doesn’t mention that Liz Kennedy, Director of Trademarks and Licensing at USC, is a rep for the FLA, and thus a staunch opponent to WRC.

Watch a little CBS video covering the sit-in here. Think a peaceful call for fair labor doesn’t merit suspension and threats? Let President Sample know your thoughts by calling him 213.740.2111 at or emailing him.

Update, 4/11/07: LA Times reports on USC administrators’ defense of its draconian actions — still without mentioning the real differences between WRC and FLA, or Liz Kennedy’s role in FLA, or the fact that many universities have already signed on to WRC.

Update, 4/25/07: President Sample finally agrees to meet with USC SCALE members.

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