NEW BRUNSWICK — Students from Rutgers United Students Against Sweatshops, the Rutgers University Student Assembly and other student organizations hosted a Disaffiliation Party for outgoing President Richard L. McCormick on Friday morning.
At the Red Lion Cafe in the basement of the Rutgers Student Center, 126 College. Ave., the groups called on McCormick to pull the university out of the Fair Labor Association, which the groups said has been discredited for covering up sweatshop abuse by companies producing Scarlet Knight apparel.
Students greeted President McCormick with applause then presented him with a celebratory cake and thank you card, but were shocked and disappointed when he refused to commit to disaffiliate from the Fair Labor Association and end sweatshop abuse in Rutgers’ supply chain.
“Rutgers University can no longer remain complicit in global exploitation,” freshman Anna Barcy said. “We must lead by example and make our university apparel sweatshop free by disaffiliating from the FLA. We’re ready to celebrate once President McCormick decides to finally do the right thing.”
The students reiterated multiple cases in which the FLA has been complicit in workers’ rights abuses and asked McCormick to use his remaining time at Rutgers to set an example for other institutions by disaffiliating.
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