Invitation: WRC Annual Meeting, May 1

Home » Communications to Affiliates

letterhead

February 20, 2014

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to invite you to the 2014 Annual Meeting of the WRC University Caucus. The meeting will take place on May 1 at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. It is a one-day meeting and will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. I hope you can join us.

There is much to discuss. In the last twelve months we have seen momentous events, with deep implications for brands, factories and workers across the apparel industry – including, of course, the collegiate sector. From the catastrophic Rana Plaza building collapse in April in Bangladesh to Cambodian police shooting workers protesting for an increase in the country’s minimum wage, we have been presented with a stark picture of the challenges we all face as we seek to protect the safety and rights of workers making collegiate goods. Yet there are also signs of progress – in particular, the advent of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.

At this year’s meeting, we will review in depth the WRC’s work over the last twelve months, with an emphasis on factory-specific investigations and corrective action efforts. We will also cover the following broader topics, all of which hold important implications for university code of conduct enforcement efforts:

  • The worker safety crisis in Bangladesh, the WRC’s work on implementation of the Accord, and university and licensee engagement on this vital issue
  • The recent violence in Cambodia, its origins and implications, and the response of licensees
  • The WRC’s ongoing effort to address systematic violations of minimum wage laws in Haiti
  • The labor rights situation in two countries of increasing importance to the US market: Burma, which has the potential to be a significant exporter to the US as it re-enters the apparel market, and Vietnam, already a major producer and positioned for rapid growth due to wage increases in China

As always, there will be ample time for questions and discussion and the opportunity for university representatives to raise any issue of interest or concern.

The full agenda for the meeting will be available soon. We will also shortly be providing information on lodging options. In the meantime, please let me know if you have any questions.

I hope we will see you on May 1. If you have not previously RSVPed for the meeting, please do so when you are able. RSVPs should be sent to my colleague, Lynnette Dunston, at [email protected].

Best,

Scott

Scott Nova 
Worker Rights Consortium 
5 Thomas Circle NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20005 
ph 202 387 4884 
fax 202 387 3292 
[email protected] 
www.workersrights.org