An apparel producer worth cheering for

By Audrey Coleman

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On Feb. 25, a delegation of students and community activists, including Jake Altman and me from COGS (Campaign to Organize Graduate Students), met with the management of the University of Iowa Bookstore to discuss sourcing living-wage, union-made Alta Gracia apparel.

Alta Gracia is the first college apparel factory that respects its workers' rights by paying them a living wage and giving them a voice on the job. With the support of students in United Students Against Sweatshops, workers in Villa Altagracia, Dominican Republic, have fought for more than a decade for fair working conditions in garment factories. Now these efforts have come to fruition.

At Alta Gracia apparel, workers have organized a strong, independent union and can support themselves and their families with wages three times the legal minimum wage. Alta Gracia embraces its workers' union, Sitralpro, and opens its doors to monitoring by the independent labor rights watchdog, Worker Rights Consortium.

The project's existence is a tribute to a legacy of student activism at the University of Iowa and other campuses.

The delegation to the UI bookstore delivered letters and petitions in support of Alta Gracia from COGS, Economic Human Rights Organization, Amnesty International, Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance and more than 100 members of the university and Iowa City community. The UI already carries some Alta Gracia apparel and is committed to carrying the brand for another year.

This effort was part of a National Anti-Sweatshop Week of Action headed by United Students Against Sweatshops.

These Iowa City students and community members believe that Alta Gracia is a prime opportunity for the UI to lead the community in social responsibility, and they hope that the bookstore and students together can educate the campus about the importance of unions and living wages in apparel.

“I'm optimistic that the local support for Alta Gracia product will make this a win for everyone: the university, our customers and the Alta Gracia employees,” bookstore manager Richard Shannon said.

Maria Hope, adviser for the UI study abroad and member of Amnesty International and Columbian Human Rights Committee, added: “Outrageously poor working conditions and the race to the bottom - corporations going to where a product can be produced at the least possible cost - is one of the shames of our times. Here's a small step. Now we can let people know of one brand that pays a living wage. ... We gotta help make it a success.”

“These (union) jobs mean sustained economic development for some of the most exploited regions of the Dominican Republic,” Altman said. “We have to stand together with our brothers and sisters around the world and demand justice for all workers. One way to do this is by thinking about what we consume and the conditions under which a good is produced. Alta Gracia apparel offers us this chance for justice.”

Now, it's up to UI students, sports fans and alumni to stand in solidarity with workers at the other end of the supply chain. The next time you're in the market for a Hawkeye shirt or hoodie, visit the University of Iowa Bookstore and ask for Alta Gracia.

Audrey Coleman is Labor Solidarity chair of UE Local 896 of COGS (Campaign to Organize Graduate Students) at the University of Iowa. Comments: audreykcoleman@gmail.com