NoSweat! leads protest in Union

Students going from table to table in the cafeteria of the Indiana Memorial Union on Monday afternoon exhorted fellow students to take a stand for workers' rights. Before they were finished spreading the message, the IMU director and representatives from the Student Activities Office asked them to leave. \nWhen Union officials halted the protest, which began about 11:30 a.m., members of NoSweat! continued to talk to students and explain their cause. \nWinston Shindell, director of the Indiana Memorial Union, said he had no problem with the cause the students are supporting, but they need to do it properly.\n"Our solicitation policy says that all solicitation should occur behind the desk in the commons area," he said. "This group has every right to reserve space there. The Union is public space and the students have a right to be left alone."\nDespite NoSweat! volunteer protests, the group was prematurely asked to leave the commons, but they did leave of their own free will. \n"We were not picketing the bookstore or IU," junior Megan Hise said. "We were just talking to students to raise awareness about the issues and to drum up student support for further disciplinary action by the University against New Era. NoSweat! believes that talking to students in the Union, while not disrupting classes or traffic, is a legitimate activity."\nNoSweat!, a student organization that fights for fair labor practices, ran the protest on the Mezzanine level of the Union, with about 10 volunteers distributing leaflets, sharing information and having students sign petitions and letters.\nThe members of NoSweat! were wearing home made shirts decrying the labor practices of New Era, a licensed supplier of IU apparel. Senior Hillary Anderson said that the organization was protesting IU carrying goods produced by New Era.\n"New Era has a factory in Derby, New York that is run with sweatshop-like conditions," she said. "The pay is low, there are lots of accidents, and it is an undesirable place to be employed. Many of the workers from that factory have been on strike for over seven months, and we are trying to call this situation to the attention of the University."\nSenior Jacob Hannan said all NoSweat! is asking for is that IU follow through on its promises. \n"IU has monitoring agencies that ensure that the suppliers practice fair labor processes," he said. "New Era refuses to engage the committee and allow them to inspect the labor conditions. We want the University to suspend doing any further business with the company until it complies with labor standards. All we ask is that IU make good on its promises to be ethical."\nNew Era officials could not be reached for comment.\nNoSweat! approached students eating lunch at the food court in the Union, asking them to sign letters to President Brand urging him to not renew the contract IU has with New Era. The group also had a petition that urged the Workers' Rights Committee to not support New Era for another contract.\nWith an armful of letters, sophomore Douglas Briney said that the way New Era treats the union on strike is deplorable.\n"The CWA local 14177 has been on strike, but New Era refuses to deal with them in good faith," he said. "Instead of bargaining with the workers here they are moving production to Bangladesh, where the working conditions are poor and wages low, raising New Era's profits."\nAbout 60 students signed letters to President Brand and the petition, showing that students do support the cause.\n"I was unaware that this was such a problem," sophomore Nick Zawodny said. "This opened up my eyes, and I highly advocate this cause"