NO SWEAT, NEW COMPANY SAYS ICE CREAM MAN TAKES STAND VS. EXPLOITATION OF WORKERS.Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer Ben Cohen Ben Cohen may refer to:
Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. , who lent his first name to Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream, turning a small, socially conscious dessert parlor into a worldwide empire, has a new venture, the Sweat X clothing line. Funded by Cohen's Hot Fudge Venture fund and designed to educate consumers of the evils of sweatshop sweatshop: see sweating system. labor, Sweat X's T-shirts and sweat shirts are marketed as the politically correct politically correct Politically sensitive adjective Referring to language reflecting awareness and sensitivity to another person's physical, mental, cultural, or other disadvantages or deviations from a norm; a person is not mentally retarded, but alternative to apparel produced by oppressed op·press tr.v. op·pressed, op·press·ing, op·press·es 1. To keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority: a people who were oppressed by tyranny. 2. workers. On hand Tuesday to celebrate the raucous launch of his new factory, staffed by 20 full-time workers who earn above minimum wage with full benefits, Cohen saw little difference between his last business adventure and the latest. ``It's the same issue,'' the gregarious entrepreneur said, post-festivities. ``We're using the power of business to address social issues. If you're a regular person, your interest isn't in maximizing your own welfare, it's helping your communities and neighbors and seeing that when you gain, others don't suffer.'' An unusual business model in the ultra-competitive apparel world, but one that Cohen plans on sticking to. Since founding Ben & Jerry's in 1978 with partner Jerry Greenfield, Cohen has always been somewhat of a maverick in the business world. When consumer goods consumer goods Any tangible commodity purchased by households to satisfy their wants and needs. Consumer goods may be durable or nondurable. Durable goods (e.g., autos, furniture, and appliances) have a significant life span, often defined as three years or more, and behemoth behemoth (bē`hĭmŏth, bĭhē`–) [Heb.,=plural of beast], large, fanciful primeval monster, like Leviathan, evoking the hippopotamus mentioned in the Book of Job. Unilever purchased the business in 2000, a move Cohen opposed, he insisted that the British firm set aside $5 million for charitable causes, spawning Hot Fudge. Sweat X marks Cohen's first major venture, and Los Angeles seemed to be the natural place for its launch. Duane Peterson, chief of stuff - yes, that's right, chief of stuff - for Ben & Jerry's, suggested the marriage of Hot Fudge's marketing might with the need for labor representation in Los Angeles. ``This is the sweat shop capital of the United States,'' Peterson said. ``There's a huge need for the garment industry to be protected, and we have many activist friends who can get the word out.'' The launch party turned into a rollicking rol·lick·ing adj. Carefree and high-spirited; boisterous: a rollicking celebration. rol affair that brought politicians, labor leaders, workers and rock stars together in an odd, but festive atmosphere. As protest rocker Michelle Shocked jammed in the background, Mayor James Hahn spoke out in support of the new manufacturing site. ``We have to make sure Sweat X succeeds so other companies can follow their lead,'' he said. ``People are starting to realize that you can't have child labor child labor, use of the young as workers in factories, farms, and mines. Child labor was first recognized as a social problem with the introduction of the factory system in late 18th-century Great Britain. and exploitative conditions any more. ... This is the way it should be.'' To save overhead costs overhead costs see fixed costs. , the factory uses a computer-assisted cutting machine to speed the production line along. With the speed and efficiency, profits can be shuttled back to employees. Though this drives up production costs, Cohen anticipates only a 5 percent surcharge. The first target markets will be college campuses and labor unions printing shirts for employees - already receptive consumers. ``This is wonderful,'' said Gillian Claycomb, a fourth-year international development studies major at the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. , and representative for United Students Against Sweatshops United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) is a student organization based in the United States with chapters at over 200 colleges and universities. In April of 2000 USAS helped to found the Worker Rights Consortium, an independent fair labor monitoring organization which exacts an . ``We'll try to get the administration to sell this in the bookstore to show that this is possible.'' Though mindful of the added cost, other entrepreneurs warmed to the idea of clothing with a conscience. ``This is the beginning of something extraordinary,'' said Tara Subkoff, a T-shirt designer who splits time between Los Angeles and New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . ``I want to support this as much as possible. I'd rather do something right or not at all.'' Shocked, seen meringue dancing with Cohen following her set, praised Sweat X as a viable substitute for cheaply produced garments. ``It's one thing to be against something, but you really need to create an alternative,'' she said. ``They have an understanding that they need to start this at the consumer level to make a change.'' Though his philosophy stands opposed to so many other businesses, Cohen remains committed to serving his workers along with serving his pocketbook. ``The issue is how a business measures success,'' he said. ``Traditionally, that's profitability, but in the single-minded pursuit of that, business has trampled human rights and the people who support them. With us, we have to make a difference in the community and then we have to make a profit. That makes it more interesting, but it's also more fun, too.'' CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Ben Cohen, founder of Sweat X, gives away T-shirts at the clothing firm's launch Tuesday in the L.A. Garment District. (2 -- 3 -- color) Salvadora Garcia models a Sweat X T-shirt at an opening party for the company, which eschews sweatshop practices. Singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked jams with 8-year-old Xavier Buck at Sweat X's opening party Tuesday downtown. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer |
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