Sweatshop group gives Ben new look

Student sweatshop protesters demanded changes from Penn. Ben Franklin got a wardrobe change yesterday. The statue of the University founder was adorned with a massive blue T-shirt with 100 student signatures that read: "No Sweat at Penn." Students from the United Students Against Sweatshops rallied in front of College Hall yesterday afternoon. They dressed up Ben to mark the February 1 deadline they imposed on University President Judith Rodin to change Penn's sweatshop monitoring organization,which they maintain is ineffective. The approximately 25 students were joined by City Councilman David Cohen, who lead Council last December in signing a resolution in support of the USAS efforts. For the past week, USAS has been counting down the days to the deadline for Rodin to leave the Free Labor Association. With the final day come and gone, the group's members plan to "increase the pressure" on Rodin. "The FLA has had the University on it for nine months and hasn't changed in any way," College senior and USAS member Miriam Joffe-Block said. "It is not going to be an organization that is going to protect the workers." USAS members believe that the sweatshop regulations with which the FLA monitors factories where University-logo apparel is produced are too lenient. They want Penn to sign on as a member of the Workers Rights Consortium. Yesterday, the organization submitted a letter to Rodin requesting that she pull out of the FLA. About 25 professors signed and submitted a similar letter. But as of yet, Rodin has made no promises to change monitoring organizations. "Fair labor conditions are a concern we share, although we may differ at the moment on the optimal mechanism for achieving this mutual goal," Rodin said in a statement. Cohen spoke to the group in front of College Hall. "I have always felt close to the University," Cohen said. "But I wish it took its rightful place as a leader in social justice." Cohen presented a official copy of the Council resolution to USAS. After his speech to the assembled students, Cohen asked, "Would it be safe if we took this to the President's office?" With approving applause and cheers, the group walked up the stairs of College Hall and into the President's office, requesting an audience with Rodin. After Rodin's assistant informed the group that the President was out of town for the day, the students conceded to presenting the resolution to Eric Tilles, associate general counsel to the president. Tilles commented that the issue was indeed an important one to University officials. "The University is working hard to ensure labor standards are not sub-standard," he said. He said the President and the Board of Trustees would view the resolution. Joffe-Block stressed that sweatshops are not just a Penn problem. "This isn't just a campus issue. A lot of people support it, especially since we are on the moral side of the argument," she said. "The University now acknowledges that the code of conduct of the FLA is not strong enough," Joffe-Block added. "And Rodin did form a task force." But Joffe-Block claimed the formation of a task force is merely a stall tactic. "They are waiting for us to go home for the summer," she said. Early last year, USAS implemented its "No Sweat" campaign. In November, students took a determined stand by staging a sit-in in Rodin's office demanding a private meeting with the president. Since then, the students have met with Rodin once more to discuss sweatshop policies. USAS will continue its efforts today at 5 p.m. with a teach-in at Civic House featuring a student speaker who visited a sweatshop during Winter Break and will offer instruction on how students can get more involved in ensuring fair labor practices.