Syracuse University is taking responsibility for its merchandise and initiative on human rights issues. The school did so when it decided to cut its ties with factories in Bangladesh that are not signed on to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety.

SU should not stop at just cutting ties with factories in violation of worker rights. The university should push on, and attempt to reform the industry.

On Sept. 17, the United Students Against Sweatshops chapter at SU demanded that the university cut ties with these companies. This movement came as a result of the collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh, which killed more than 1,100 garment workers in April 2013.

Currently, SU licenses the rights to create SU apparel to 29 factories in Bangladesh, according to the Worker Rights Consortium. Out of those 29 factories, nine have yet to sign on to the accord.

Factories have until June 30 to sign the accord before SU terminates its contracts with the manufacturers. SU should end its partnerships with the factories that do not sign, as worker’s lives should not be endangered so people can wear SU branded products.

By openly cutting ties with factories with unsafe work conditions, SU sends an open message to both other universities and factories overseas. It encourages other universities to follow and warns factories that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.

Because merchandising is a very lucrative business and SU has influence in the industry as a result of the Orange’s success, the university should be using this to its advantage. It has a responsibility to check on workplace conditions to ensure safety behind what’s sold with a Syracuse logo.

While it is beneficial that SU is cutting ties with companies not signed on to the accord, it should pursue the issue further. If companies simply move out of Bangladesh to avoid signing on to the accord — like VF Corporation, which SU licenses, did — workers may remain under unsafe work conditions.

SU cannot think simply cutting ties with factories will solve the issue of an unsafe work condition. The university should not wait until unsafe work conditions are brought to light after a tragic disaster, and instead try to prevent them from happening in the first place.

Published on March 20, 2014 at 1:00 am