Message from WRC University Caucus Representatives: Annual Meeting in DC

Dear Colleagues,                                                                

We write to invite you to join us in DC on March 24 for the Annual Meeting of the WRC University Caucus.

As the university caucus representatives to the WRC board, we hope you can attend this rich day of programming and discussion that will bring you up to date on key developments in licensed apparel code compliance, including the latest legal developments. We know that each of you, like us, is juggling competing priorities every day. The WRC Annual Meeting provides a one-day crash course on the key news and analysis you need to protect the rights of workers in your supply chain and protect your university from risk. Throughout the day, you’ll have the chance to ask questions and raise topics of concern to the WRC’s staff experts and invited guests.

This year, WRC staff and guests will highlight the implications of proposed and enacted legal changes in the US and Europe that may create new obligations for licensees, as well as steps being taken by the US government to enforce existing legislation and advance workers’ rights in supply chains. The six of us and the staff are looking forward to sharing information on the new Pakistan Accord on Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, and on the steps universities and licensees can take to address the serious safety risks to Pakistani garment workers producing collegiate apparel. We will also share updates on specific factories supplying university apparel where the WRC has identified violations and ensured that they are remedied, from Guatemala to India, including a number of cases in which workers have reported gender-based violence and harassment—including physical assault and retaliatory firing of women who resist. In each case, the WRC has successfully pressed not only for the removal of perpetrators and support for the women workers but also for factories to take necessary steps to prevent these violations from recurring.   

Please RSVP now to join us.

Annual Meeting of the WRC University Caucus
Friday, March 24, 2023
9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Georgetown University
School of Continuing Studies
640 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20001