Honorable William Jefferson Clinton
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

I am writing to urge you to help students ensure that apparel and other items bearing the logo of their colleges and universities are not made under sweatshop conditions. I am concerned that the Administration may be undermining student efforts to create effective codes of conduct for university licencing agreements.

I understand that the Administration is encouraging universities across the country to join the Fair Labor Association (FLA), the monitoring arm of the Apparel Industry Partnership (AIP). I also understand that Labor Secretary Alexis Herman has characterized students as supporting and being responsible for some universities agreeing to participate in the FLA. Secretary Herman's March 15 press release states that "as a result of intelligent college activism, seventeen major universities have signed onto the Fair Labor Association."

However, my understanding is that students have urged universities not to affiliate with the FLA until issues of full public disclosure, living wages, and transparent, credible monitoring are addressed. They believe that until these issues are addressed, the FLA will be an ineffective tool against sweatshop conditions. The United Students Against Sweatshops stated in a March 16 release that schools agreeing to participate in the FLA "went behind the backs of students who have forced universities to stand up for full public disclosure, living wage and women's issues."

Students have organized, worked with school administrators, educated consumers, and peacefully protested to persuade colleges and universities to adopt what students believe will be effective codes of conduct. It would be wrong if your Administration were urging universities to subvert student efforts to ensure that products bearing the logos of their colleges and universities are not made in sweatshops.

I appreciate the Administration's efforts against sweatshops, including your efforts to bring all parties to the table under the Apparel Industry Partnership. But I respectfully remind you that it is the students who are the consumers of university-licenced products and their views should play a role in determining university policy in this area. It is because of students that colleges and universities have adopted anti-sweatshop codes of conduct.

I believe that colleges and universities should work with students to address their concerns before signing onto the FLA. The Administration should refrain from taking any steps that could undercut student efforts to reform university-licencing agreements.

Thank you for your attention to my concerns and the concerns of students across the country.

Sincerely,

GEORGE MILLER
7th District, California

cc: Honorable Alexis Herman, Secretary of Labor