Students Force 70 Schools to Cut Ties with Russell Corporation over Honduras Union-Busting

Student labor activists are back with a vengeance!  Russell Corporation -- the largest private employer in Honduras -- has already lost millions of dollars in business as the target of the largest collegiate boycott of an apparel supplier ever.  The boycott, orchestrated by United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), grew from the Honduran garment workers' union struggles in multiple Russell factories. 

Workers at Russell's Jerzees De Honduras (JDH) factory earned $60 a week or less producing thousands of sweatshirts for US universities, had no access to clean drinking water and faced endless verbal abuse.  When workers formed a union to fight against sweatshop working conditions, Russell illegally fired 150 pro-union workers, provoked death threats against union leaders and finally shuttered their JDH factory, leaving all 1,800 employees jobless simply for exercising their Freedom of Association.

Three JDH union leaders traveled the United States with USAS to demand universities terminate their licensing deals that gave Russell the right to produce clothes bearing the names and logos of their schools.  Coupled with a wave of hard-hitting student activism, the collegiate boycott quickly skyrocketed.

This week, USAS members from across the country descended on Los Angeles and Orlando for the NBA Finals, protesting the NBA's $125M deal for Russell's Spalding basketballs and Huffy Sports backboards.  This is the latest part of USAS' continually expanding campaign calling on retailers and sports organization to sever ties with the company. 

Russell Corporation was purchased in 2006 by billionaire Warren Buffett's holding company.  Since then, Buffett made John Holland CEO of Russell, and the offshoring of jobs accelerated as Russell -- founded in Alabama -- cut and run from its communities in search of lower wages and slacker labor laws.  USAS caught Russell CEO John Holland lying about death threats against Honduran union leaders on camera.

For more on USAS' Russell campaign, see ReinInRussell.org

USAS is the largest anti-sweatshop organization in history besides labor unions themselves.  Chapters at universities and colleges throughout North America wage campaigns to support workers organizing for justice on their campuses, in garment factories producing university apparel, and everywhere.