U.S. College Students Standing in Global Solidarity with Garment Workers

An interview with Gisselle Cervantes, National Organizer with Students for International Labor Solidarity

Labor 411 editor, Sahid Fawaz, sat down with Gisselle Cervantes to talk about her ongoing work as a National Organizer for Students for International Labor Solidarity (“SILS”), which is a student-led movement championing for ethical garment manufacturing. The Buy Your Values UCLA campaign shares much in common with SILS and its vision for a garment industry where workers are treated fairly and paid living wages.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with us about SILS. Would you mind giving our readers background about yourself and the organization?

I began as a labor organizer, specifically with SEIU Local 721 in Los Angeles. I transitioned to SILS because I wanted to work in labor at a more international level. SILS seemed like a perfect fit, so I joined its staff.

At SILS we build garment worker solidarity campaigns on college campuses across to ensure that labor rights are being respected in university apparel supply chains. Many universities, including the UC system, have binding codes of conduct for brands that sell university logo apparel which require them to treat workers with dignity. Students can hold their universities accountable for enforcing these binding codes. As consumers, students have considerable power because they are a valuable demographic for clothing brands. Much of the brands’ marketing budgets are spent targeting students.

Can you give us some examples of recent student activism by SILS?

Of course. A large factory with 2,800 workers in Cambodia called Trax Apparel fired workers who were union leaders. These workers produce university logo apparel and soccer shirts for Adidas and Manchester United.

We coordinated rallies across campuses in the U.S. demanding the reinstatement of the workers that were fired as part of a union-busting campaign. It worked! The company agreed to provide full backpay and rehire opportunities to the fired workers.

One of our current campaigns involves wage theft by the Hong Seng Knitting factory in Thailand, whose workers make university-branded apparel for Nike.

During the pandemic, the factory required workers to take “voluntary” leave without pay, forcing them to sign forms stating they actually wanted unpaid leave, which is a violation of Thai law. The factory retaliated against workers who refused to sign the forms.

This is simply wage theft. We are working with students to bring publicity to this issue and put pressure on Nike. UCLA’s student government has played a big role in this campaign, arguing that the garment maker’s actions are a violation of the university code of conduct.

This campaign is particularly important because it sends the signal to brands that students won’t tolerate labor law violations.

Why do we have these labor violations? Where do they stem from?

The brands. We are witnessing a systemic problem that comes from a lack of corporate accountability. The wage theft at Hong Seng would be a drop in the bucket for Nike to pay. But the reality is that it doesn’t matter to Nike because they are used to getting away with it with little repercussions. If this truly mattered to Nike, they would make the payments with practically no effect on their profitability.

What are the major obstacles that SILS faces when trying to make change?

Two come to mind. The first is that the brands are spending considerable marketing money to create a false public image that they make ethically sourced clothing. The term greenwashing comes to mind, where companies create a fiction about their practices that too often consumers believe.

The second obstacle is that scattered supply chain that comes with globalization. It can be difficult to find out where and under what conditions clothes are being made.

People need to be educated on the apparel industry so that they know where their clothes are made, and they can take action in solidarity with the workers who make them.

Are college students generally interested in garment worker issues or do you find that you have to persuade many of them?

Students today have a strong understanding of global solidarity. In my opinion, this generation of college students are the most passionate about, and interested in, the treatment of garment workers across the world.

As an example, international labor leaders convened in Philadelphia recently. College students from all over the country came to Philadelphia during their summer break to speak with these leaders and ask questions about their work. It was incredibly encouraging to see this enthusiasm displayed by the students.

Who are some of SILS’s strongest allies and partners?

It would be the members of our support committee. It is made up of labor unions that include the Steelworkers, UFCW, SEIU, and Workers United. The committee also has unions from India, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Honduras. It’s been very helpful to learn from their expertise.