Students Against Sweatshops

by Liza Featherstone, United Students Against Sweatshops, Molly Mcgrath (Foreword by)

Overview

United Students Against Sweatshops heads a wave of anti-sweatshop organizing that has reached over two hundred American college campuses in the past four years. From the northeast to the southwest, at public and private, large and small universities, their campaigns have wreaked havoc on the corporate campus and ruffled multinational companies whose profits depend on young consumers; they have also led to a more broadly based engagement with issues of social justice and provide a potential model for transnational student/worker solidarity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781859843024
Publisher:	Verso Books
Publication date:	06/17/2002
Pages:	130
Product dimensions:	5.15(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.27(d)

About the Author

United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) is a student organization with chapters at over 250 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

Liza Featherstone is a New York City journalist who has written extensively about student and youth organizing. She is a frequent contributor to The Nation, Newsday and The Washington Post.

Editorial Reviews

An inspiring story of how students are making history today.”—Tom Hayden

“As vividly as any documentary film, Liza Featherstone captures the gusto and political savvy of a student movement that has made its impact in every corner of the global economy. Nor does this indispensable book pull any punches; its bold commentary will hit home where it needs to be heard.”—Andrew Ross

“Everybody wants to have a living wage. Everybody wants to be able to take care fo themselves and their family. Everybody wants to retire and feel good, enjoy life. Breathe. Live. Eat.”—Sheri Davis

“Here are the inspiring voiced of our democracy—young people daring to question authority and confront power. These are the Thomas Paines, Sojourner Truths, Frederick Douglasses, and Mother Joneses of our times. America needs them more than ever.”—Jim Hightower

“Campus activism lives! This inspiring and lucid account of the work of United Students Against Sweatshops proves it. Blending commitment and analysis, Featherstone tells us why USAS is about much more than caps and tee shirts—it’s about workers’ rights, women’s rights, challenging the corporatization of the university, and establishing a fair world order.”—Katha Pollitt

From the Publisher

Campus activism lives! This inspiring and lucid account of the work of United Students Against Sweatshops proves it. Blending commitment and analysis, Featherstone tells us why USAS is about much more than caps and tee shirts – it's about workers' rights, women's rights, challenging the corporatization of the university, and establishing a fair world order.

Katha Pollitt

Here are the inspiring voiced of our democracy – young people daring to question authority and confront power. These are the Thomas Paines, Sojourner Truths, Frederick Douglasses, and Mother Joneses of our times. America needs them more than ever.

Jim Hightower

Everybody wants to have a living wage. Everybody wants to be able to take care fo themselves and their family. Everybody wants to retire and feel good, enjoy life. Breathe. Live. Eat.

Sheri Davis

As vividly as any documentary film, Liza Featherstone captures the gusto and political savvy of a student movement that has made its impact in every corner of the global economy. Nor does this indispensable book pull any punches; its bold commentary will hit home where it needs to be heard.

Andrew Ross

An inspiring story of how students are making history today.

Tom Hayden

Campus activism lives! This inspiring and lucid account of the work of United Students against Sweatshops proves it.

Nation

New York City journalist Featherstone and the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) have collaborated to write a brief history of university student anti-sweatshop activism and the role of USAS. The organization began in spring 1998 as a coalition of student groups "fighting for sweatshop-free working conditions and workers' rights." USAS now has over 200 chapters on university campuses throughout the world working to ensure that clothing bearing university logos is produced by companies offering a living wage and fair working conditions in their factories. This book includes a time line, a listing of university chapters, and notes on contributors. Each chapter contains vignettes by student USAS members and some factory workers offering a personal look into working conditions and the group's campaigns. Because it is written strictly from the USAS viewpoint, this book is limited in its ability to offer a larger treatment of the world problem of garment factory sweatshops conditions and workers' rights. Academic libraries having a USAS chapter could consider purchasing, while other libraries may want to wait for a more rounded approach to this topic. Joyce M. Cox, Nevada State Lib. & Archives, Reno Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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