TO THE EDITOR:
Since last September, when Student Action with Workers (SAW) wrote to Chancellor Carol Folt to urge the University require its licensees to sign The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (The Accord), UNC’s Licensing Labor Code Advisory Committee has met monthly to consider a wide array of information. The committee was tasked with examining SAW’s request and reporting to the Chancellor’s Cabinet.
In the wake of a series of deadly factory disasters in Bangladesh, including the Rana Plaza factory collapse which killed 1,1100 workers, over 150 apparel companies, have joined The Accord and committed to fix unsafe factories. Twelve other universities, including Duke University, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps, require their licensees to join The Accord -— and that list is growing. The alternative option considered by the Committee was The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, an agreement between 26 companies. Unlike The Accord, The Alliance does not include worker representatives in its governance and implementation and does not require companies to pay for repairs to factories. These deficiencies make it unenforceable and, in my view, unworthy of UNC’s support. In fact, a large majority of the Committee is in favor of requiring UNC licensees to join The Accord.
This is ultimately a decision about prioritizing human rights and worker safety over profit margins. As Joe Bozich, CEO of one of UNC’s brands and Accord member, Knights Apparel, told the Committee, “it’s just good business.” I urge the Chancellor to require UNC brands to join The Accord, to maintain this University’s commitment to the highest human ideals. No other university has considered the Alliance a viable alternative, and UNC should not be the first.
Elizabeth Haddix
Senior Staff Attorney
UNC Center for Civil Rights
