By Arthur Kane
Denver Post Staff Writer
The University of Colorado earns about $600,000 a year from licensing apparel, mugs and other items bearing the school’s logo, but a group of students says the school is not doing enough to ensure the items are not made under sweatshop conditions.
CU also recently signed a $20 million, 10-year contract with Nike, which has been criticized for its labor practices. But Pauline Hale, spokeswoman for the Boulder campus, which receives most of the licensing money, said Nike is mostly providing equipment and cash in return for players’ wearing the equipment during games.
A group that is trying to eliminate substandard working conditions says such licensing and promotion agreements give CU the leverage to pressure manufacturers into providing living wages to overseas workers.
“We want to promote human rights and worker rights,” said Tim Hillman, who led a protest of about 20 students affiliated with United Students Against Sweatshops at the Boulder chancellor’s office Wednesday. The campaign was coordinated with 40 other major schools around the country.
CU in April agreed to join the Worker Rights Consortium, which monitors factory conditions. Nearly 150 other schools belong to the group.
But the protesters Wednesday said they want CU to pressure manufacturers to produce at least 25 percent of their apparel in unionized factories.
Hale said the apparel licensing advisory committee will likely take up the demands at some point.
“We remain committed to furthering our efforts to ensure that people who produce goods with CU’s name or logo are treated fairly and humanely while working in safe and decent conditions,” she said in a statement.
Staff writer Arthur Kane can be reached at 303-820-1626 or akane@denverpost.com.
