Pitt neglects to prioritize labor rights: Align with Bangladesh Accord

Recent advocacy efforts and the University’s subsequent unresponsiveness have necessitated this public address to the Pitt administration. We, Americans for Informed Democracy, are writing to inquire about whether you have made the decision to substantiate Pitt’s affiliation with the Workers’ Rights Consortium and require the University of Pittsburgh’s licensees to sign on to the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, an agreement designed to make Bangladeshi garment factories safe workplaces.

We have yet to receive a response, despite our previous attempts to contact you through e-mail, letters and baked goods, so we have to assume that they have been deleted, lost or eaten before they got the chance to reach you.

Again we ask, why haven’t you taken steps to align Pitt with the Bangladesh Safety Accord? Developed after the collapse of Bangladeshi garment factory Rana Plaza last summer — a tragedy that resulted in 1,129 unnecessary deaths — the accord provides mechanisms for preventing disasters like this from occurring in the future. The accord requires regular factory safety inspections, financial accountability on behalf of companies for necessary factory repairs and gives workers the rights to form unions and refuse to enter a building they find unsafe without the risk of losing their jobs.

While these provisions all have special importance with regard to the Rana Plaza collapse, this disaster was just one example of a systemic labor-rights epidemic that has claimed thousands of lives. Having read all the information we have given you concerning the Bangladesh Safety Accord, you already know this, and we’re certain you understand the significance of granting agency to workers.

Support to sign the accord extends far beyond AID advocacy. Last month, AID collaborated with the Pitt Coalition Against Sweatshops and Pitt’s South Asian Student Association to host Bangladeshi labor organizer Kalpona Akter and Reba Sikder, an 18-year-old survivor of the Rana Plaza collapse. They delivered a powerful account of their experiences in the garment industry to more than 160 students who then signed a petition in support of Pitt’s alignment with the accord.

We’ve made sure students and the Pitt community are aware of such violations to human rights. We’ve made sure the administration is aware of those events, along with the benefits of signing the accords. We’ve done the work, and now it’s time you do yours.

As a reputable university in Pennsylvania, Pitt is falling behind by not granting a timely response in regard to signing the Accord. Currently 11 other universities have signed the accord, including fellow state-related school Penn State, Temple and the University of Pennsylvania.

In addition, Pitt was recommended to amend its supplier code of conduct to require brands to sign on to the accord almost immediately after becoming an affiliate of the Worker Rights Consortium, an independent labor-monitoring organization that focuses on protecting the rights of workers involved in manufacturing apparel.

Last year, the NoSweat coalition, an alliance comprising more than 50 student organizations, engaged in dialogues with the administration in order to convince them to sign on to the consortium. Although initially being hesitant to affiliate with the consortium, the administration agreed to affiliate in August 2013 after a few months of discussions with students and a show of immense public support from the Pitt community. The NoSweat Coalition looked forward to continuing to work with the Pitt administration to review consortium reports and take appropriate action to pressure brands to improve worker safety during the 2013-2014 school year, but so far the conversation has been primarily one-sided.

Signing on to the Worker Rights Consortium was an important stepping stone in establishing safe working conditions in our licensees’ garment factories, but stronger measures must be taken. The accord will fortify the consortium’s monitoring efforts by legally mandating companies with factories deemed unfit after examination to be held accountable. This is the next logical step in proving Pitt’s commitment to labor rights — why haven’t you taken it?

As a fairly large institution with an internationally recognized name, Pitt can send a message about its commitment to labor rights by insisting on safe working conditions within one of the largest garment manufacturing countries in the world. It is not merely a business decision, but a matter of moral responsibility as a powerful collegiate establishment to ensure the safety and well-being of the laborers who produce the clothes that tens of thousands of students and fans wear on their backs. 

We do not want our Pitt apparel to come at the expense of others’ lives.

We implore you to join the ranks of other university administrations and require your licensees to sign on to the Bangladesh Safety Accord so that we can truly exemplify our school pride in apparel that is both fairly and ethically manufactured.