Longhorns for Laborers

On Friday, April 29, six UT-Austin students, representing the nationwide Students Against Sweatshops campaign, briefly occupied the office of university President Bill Powers. The students, supported by a rally outside, demanded that the university affiliate with the Worker Rights Consortium, an independent textile-factory monitoring group, to ensure adequate working conditions in factories manufacturing Longhorn clothing. UT is currently affiliated with the Fair Labor Association, which includes representatives of the manufacturing corporations – described by the students as a conflict of interest. According to a statement released by SAS, "More than 180 universities ... are already affiliated with the WRC." Powers said only that he would present the information to UT System administrators. The occupation coincided with other SAS actions to support workers' rights, including at Rutgers University in New Jersey and Emory in Atlanta.