Memorabilia producers will be required by CU to follow conduct code

Cornell officials have announced they will require manufacturers that supply products imprinted with Cornell logos, names, trademarks and artwork to follow a code of conduct that establishes safe and humane working conditions. The code is being developed by the Collegiate Licensing Co. (CLC), licensing agent for Cornell and more than 160 other colleges and universities.

The code will establish standards in areas such as wages, benefits, working conditions, health and safety requirements, and child and forced labor. Critical factors such as enforcement of the code and compliance procedures still need to be refined, said Henrik N. Dullea, vice president for university relations.

"Standards in the code should be enforceable, and monitoring provisions must allow for periodic inspections by representatives of the Collegiate Licensing Co.," Dullea said. "Our discussions continue with practitioners in the labor field, CLC and others, and we will require manufacturers of Cornell apparel to abide by the code when it is finalized."

CLC, located in Atlanta, will include the final code in contracts with individual licensees as they are initiated or come up for renewal. As part of licensing agreements, all manufacturers that supply Cornell-imprinted apparel also would have to assure CLC and Cornell that they hold their subcontractors and other business associates to the standards set forth in the code, Dullea explained. "By working with a strong consortium such as the Collegiate Licensing Co., we can have a much greater impact on the apparel industry than any one university acting alone," Dullea said.

Dullea paid tribute to several Cornell student organizations that have been in the forefront of efforts to secure improved working conditions in this industry -- Students Stop Sweatshops, COLA, CUSLAR and the Student Assembly, among others. "Cornell students have helped make this an important issue across the nation, and they will have a real and tangible impact," he said.

Parties to the code still have to work out details for the monitoring and compliance program, Dullea said, adding that ensuring compliance with the code of conduct is an appropriate task for CLC. "Licensing agents such as CLC are in the best position to monitor labor practices and policies. It is one of the reasons why so many colleges and universities use CLC to stay on top of this and other issues," he explained.

The Collegiate Licensing Co. has been working on this code for several months, and Cornell has reviewed and commented on CLC drafts to date, said David I. Stewart, director of community relations and coordinator of the university's product-licensing program. Stewart represents Cornell on a task force established by CLC to create an enforceable code.

Stewart has met on several occasions with representatives of the campus organizations involved in this issue. He also has shared with CLC an October 1997 Student Assembly resolution that expressed concern about clothes carrying Cornell artwork being made in "sweatshops."

Dullea said code uniformity, rather than colleges and universities writing a series of codes that vary in standards, will make it easier for monitoring and to gain compliance. "The CLC code of conduct now being developed should help improve workplace conditions in the garment industry around the world and we're pleased that we will be part of a strong alliance," he said.

More than 150 manufacturers are licensed to produce Cornell memorabilia that range from apparel, stationery and souvenirs sold in stores to uniforms for athletic teams and other Cornell products. All suppliers of Cornell-imprinted products produced locally, nationally and internationally will be required to abide by the CLC code of conduct when it is ready to be included in new and renewal contracts.