Students and the Anti‐Sweatshop Movement

Abstract

The anti-sweatshop movement and related contemporary international labor solidarity efforts confront fast-moving uneven production geographies (Waterman and Wills 2001; Herod 1998, 2001a, 2001b). Global economic volatility is further exacerbated in industries like apparel production, the quintessential sweatshop sector, because of low investment thresholds (Hale and Shaw 2001; Gereffi 1999; Figueroa 1996). A predominantly female workforce in these same industries—and the complex gender and social reproduction dynamics involved—presents additional challenges to effective solidarity strategies (Hale and Shaw 2001; Bonacich et al 1994). In the recent past, international labor solidarity has been coordinated through the channels of organized labor with international confederations and international trade secretariats (ITSs) identifying pressure points through research on company assets and investors; contributing to strike funds; and pressuring officials in support of particular demands (Herod 1995; Moody 1997; Scher 1997). However, the global expansion of exportoriented industrialization, the end of the Cold War, and the increased promotion of free trade practices propelled a search for innovative strategies to achieve union goals (Alexander and Gilmore 1994; Cook 1997; Frundt 1996; Levenson-Estrada and Frundt 1995). Cultivating relationships with college students is one aspect of this wider labor strategy. The anti-sweatshop and broader global justice movements inspire me with hope for the future. In particular, I take heart in the way that student anti-sweatshop activists in the United States have forged alliances with organized labor and others in ‘‘mixed coalitions’’ with the potential to foster workplace democracy. Students on college campuses have the energy, passion, dedication, and resources to act