News From USW: Steelworkers Congratulate Purdue Hunger Strikers on Victory.

Pledge Continued Pressure on University to End Sweatshop Purchases

PITTSBURGH -- News From USW: United Steelworkers (USW) President Leo W. Gerard today congratulated United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) and Purdue Organization for Labor Equality (POLE) members for their successful 27-day hunger strike that ended yesterday after Purdue University moved one step closer to assuring that apparel bearing their university logo is not made in sweatshops.

The USW and the AFL-CIO joined students on campus at Purdue University Wednesday to help end a 27- day hunger strike. Joined by Indiana State AFL-CIO Ken Zeller and AFL-CIO organizing director Stewart Acuff, Tim Waters and dozens of other steelworkers reaffirmed their organization's commitment to continue working with the student activists in carrying on the anti-sweatshop campaign.

"We are very happy the hunger strike has ended, because we felt the health of the students was in serious jeopardy," Gerard stated. "We are even more pleased that their efforts have not been in vain to pressure the university to demand that Nike, Adidas, and other brands producing university clothing use sources from factories that pay their workers living wages and allow them a voice on the job."

Students began refusing food on November 17. Since that time, 15 students participated in the hunger strike, with hundreds more participating in solidarity fasts around the world, including garment workers producing Purdue apparel in Kenya.

While students, Steelworkers, and other labor leaders expressed dissatisfaction with Purdue President Martin Jischke's handling of the situation, Gerard nonetheless cited the tremendous impact of the students' actions. "This is a real victory for these courageous students," Gerard said. "But this struggle is far from over."

Gerard noted that, although Purdue has not agreed to completely commit to the so-called "Designated Supplier Program," the university has backtracked on its complete refusal to consider the program by agreeing to participate as observers. The USW joined USAS and POLE in giving Jischke three months to learn more about the DSP, whereupon the union will join the program entirely.

USW District 7 Director Jim Robinson also stated that the Steelworkers is closely monitoring the situation. "We have 50,000 members and their families in the state of Indiana who we will call on to be involved in this campaign if Purdue doesn't join Indiana University and others in fully signing on to the DSP," Robinson said.

The USW said it would be watching the situation closely and expects Purdue to take strong, positive action to stop subsidizing child labor and exploitation of workers around the world. "The time for educational institutions to wash their hands of the problem and pretend that it will go away is over," Gerard said.