Ivy League Discusses, Fails To Agree on Labor Code

Representatives from the Ivy League schools failed to reach a formal agreement on a sweatshop code of conduct at their third meeting in New York on Wednesday, according to a University representative.

Allan M. Ryan Jr., University attorney and Harvard's representative at the meeting, called the discussions "helpful," but said the schools do not yet have a timetable for implementing change.

"I think what's come out of it is a renewed attempt to have a vigorous and enforceable code that all Ivy institutions can join," Ryan said.

Ryan, who said he had not anticipated a formal agreement from the discussions, said he expects more negotiation before an agreement is reached.

"It's not so much that there's disagreement--there's differences over how fast we're going to proceed," he said.

The Ivy League meeting comes in the wake of several weeks of student activism across the country.

At Harvard on Tuesday, about 50 students marched across the Yard in an attempt to persuade President Neil L. Rudenstine to adopt a strict labor code in sweatshops that manufacture products with Harvard's insignia.

Members of the Progressive Students Labor Movement (PSLM) wanted to present Rudenstine with a letter calling for, among other things, full disclosure of factory locations and guarantees of living wages for workers.

Daniel M. Hennefeld '99, who organized Tuesday's rally for PSLM, said the news from Wednesday's meeting was discouraging.

"We're disappointed that Harvard and the Ivy League are still not committing to the principles that we want to see," he said.

Members of the movement will continue their crusade Monday night in a meeting with former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and two former sweatshop workers from Guatemala, Hennefeld said.