Harvard Joins Apparel Factory Oversight Group

Harvard will soon make a commitment to independent monitoring of overseas factories that manufacture University apparel, a move student protestors have demanded for more than a year.

But some students say they are not satisfied with the terms of the agreement, which would put factory monitoring in the hands of an independent agency.

Harvard plans to join forces with several universities to allow easier monitoring of overseas factories that make Harvard apparel. Their agreement is still being negotiated, but an announcement is scheduled for later this week.

Student activists at Harvard, however, expressed concern that the new agreement would give too much power to monitoring agencies that might be influenced by their other clients--the clothing companies themselves.

The University of California system and the University of Notre Dame will join Harvard in the coalition. The three universities, along with a fourth and possibly fifth to be named later, will make up the coalition. The agreement will last for one year as a "pilot program," said University Attorney Allan A. Ryan Jr.

Ryan, who started the discussions, has been meeting with student activists and Harvard officials throughout the past year to address growing labor concerns.

"It was an idea that grew out of discussions that I have been having with students here, with my counterparts at other Ivy institutions and with President [Neil L.] Rudenstine," Ryan said.

The agreement would allow the universities to "pool their resources" to investigate overseas sweatshops, according to William P. Hoye, associate vice-president and general counsel at Notre Dame.

"It seems to make sense to have one monitor [agency] monitor all of these factories and share the cost of monitoring so our limited monitoring dollars can go farther," Hoye said.

Universities in the coalition will accept the same data from a single independent monitoring agency and possibly a few non-governmental and religious organizations.

The pilot program is designed to answer three questions about overseas factories: what condition the factories are in, what universities can do to improve their conditions, and how universities can effectively improve the lives of factory workers.

Ryan explained that information would be gathered for one year and then used to construct an effective policy for overseas factories.

"The first step to coming up with answers is to find out what the facts are, so that's essentially what lies behind this," he said.

Since the new coalition hasn't been formally announced, a monitoring agency has yet to be named. Notre Dame did hire Price Waterhouse Coopers to monitor its own factories earlier this year.

In the past, student protestors have demanded specifically that Price-Waterhouse-Coopers not be assigned to act as an independent monitor. The firm already serves as a consultant to companies including Nike, Reebok and Liz Claiborne, which some students said creates a conflict of interest.

"The fact is that there is a clear conflict of interest," said Daniel M. Hennefeld '99, a member of the Progressive Students Labor Movement.

Ryan said he hopes students will see the monitor as objective and credible.

"I hope that the students and others that areconcerned about this issue will appreciate that anauditing firm has obligations of independence thatother types of consultants don't have," he said.

But Hoye said he felt Price-Waterhouse-Coopercould objectively monitor Notre Dame's factories.

"If you've ever been part of an organizationthat's been audited, then you know that theauditors are objective and they're fair andthey're not in the pocket of the university orwhatever entity they represent," Hoye said.

Both Ryan and Hoye also expressed hope toinvolve other agencies in the program to ensureobjectivity.

Ryan said he hopes to solicit some agenciesrecommended by Harvard students, though he wouldnot name any specifically.

Officials from Notre Dame, which is a Jesuituniversity, said they also hope to involve theCatholic Church in the monitoring process,according to Hoye.

"Every university is different in a lot ofrespects," Ryan said.

"What we're united on is a commitment toaddress this problem and do it in the mosteffective way that we're able to," he added.

Hennefeld said student activists across thecountry are hoping to present their own plan foran objective monitoring system soon.

He said the students' plan will be "morecredible and reliable than monitoring that isinfluenced in various ways by manufacturers."

Officials from Harvard and Notre Dame say theydo not plan to withdraw from the recently formedFair Labor Association (FLA) as a result of thisagreement.

The FLA, an organization created earlier thisyear and sponsored by the White House, has beenwidely criticized as too weak in its protection ofworkers

"I hope that the students and others that areconcerned about this issue will appreciate that anauditing firm has obligations of independence thatother types of consultants don't have," he said.

But Hoye said he felt Price-Waterhouse-Coopercould objectively monitor Notre Dame's factories.

"If you've ever been part of an organizationthat's been audited, then you know that theauditors are objective and they're fair andthey're not in the pocket of the university orwhatever entity they represent," Hoye said.

Both Ryan and Hoye also expressed hope toinvolve other agencies in the program to ensureobjectivity.

Ryan said he hopes to solicit some agenciesrecommended by Harvard students, though he wouldnot name any specifically.

Officials from Notre Dame, which is a Jesuituniversity, said they also hope to involve theCatholic Church in the monitoring process,according to Hoye.

"Every university is different in a lot ofrespects," Ryan said.

"What we're united on is a commitment toaddress this problem and do it in the mosteffective way that we're able to," he added.

Hennefeld said student activists across thecountry are hoping to present their own plan foran objective monitoring system soon.

He said the students' plan will be "morecredible and reliable than monitoring that isinfluenced in various ways by manufacturers."

Officials from Harvard and Notre Dame say theydo not plan to withdraw from the recently formedFair Labor Association (FLA) as a result of thisagreement.

The FLA, an organization created earlier thisyear and sponsored by the White House, has beenwidely criticized as too weak in its protection ofworkers