Boulder Faculty Assembly
Student Affairs Committee Resolution:
BFA-R-2-0400
Code of Conduct for Ethical Apparel Licensing

Whereas, the mission of the University of Colorado includes the goals of benefiting all the people of Colorado and of the world and fostering responsible citizenship, and

Whereas, consonant with these goals, Chancellor Byyny has declared that “we should promote universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” and

Whereas, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 28, guarantees to every person in the world an international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in the Declaration can be fully realized, and

Whereas, the University of Colorado licenses apparel manufacturers whose policies and conduct in many countries may not respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, and

Whereas, the University of Colorado’s licensing policy currently includes certain ethical standards, and

Whereas, Chancellor Byyny has called for a wide-ranging discussion throughout the campus community about the appropriate ethical standards to which licensees should be held, and

Whereas, colleges and universities throughout the United States are reassessing their policies relating to apparel licensing;

Therefore be it Resolved that the Boulder Faculty Assembly calls upon the entire CU-Boulder community and its Chancellor to formulate and endorse at the earliest possible date, and to uphold in the future, a new Code of Conduct for Ethical Apparel Licensing; and further

Be it Resolved, that the Boulder Faculty Assembly voices its desire that the Code of Conduct include at least the following elements:

1. A guarantee of basic rights to all employees of licensed apparel manufacturers and their contractors and subcontractors, including specific provisions to implement the following articles of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

• Article 5: The right to be free from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment
• Article 19: The right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media
• Article 22: The right to realize economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for dignity and free development of personality
• Article 23 (1): The right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment
• Article 23 (2): The right to equal pay for equal work, without any discrimination
• Article 23 (3): The right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for every worker and their family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection
• Article 23 (4): The right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of the employees’ interests
• Article 24: The right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay
• Article 25 (1): The right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of every worker and their family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services

2. A guarantee of specific rights to women, including: a. freedom from sexual abuse in the workplace b. freedom from workplace conditions endangering reproductive health c. freedom from forced contraception d. freedom from job discrimination based on pregnancy or suspicion of pregnancy

3. Establishment of an internal advisory body, which will: a. be composed of representatives of all interested parties in the CU-Boulder community b. be chaired by a faculty member c. insure full compliance with all the provisions of the Code, through clearly defined methods and procedures d. issue periodic public written reports detailing its activities and the status of compliance with the code e. be adequately funded by the Chancellor’s office

4. The University of Colorado at Boulder’s commitment to membership and full participation in, and financial support for, an organization such as the Workers’ Rights Consortium (WRC), which will be the primary source for external monitoring of licensed manufacturers’ compliance with the Code

5. Clearly stated policies and procedures for terminating the license of any manufacturer determined by the internal advisory body to be out of compliance with any provision of the Code; and further

Be it Resolved, that the Boulder Faculty Assembly urges all faculty members and all members of the CU-Boulder community to engage in a thoughtful and thorough campus-wide discussion of issues relating to the adoption of the Code, so that the best possible Code can be adopted and implemented at the earliest possible date.