mgm casino

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The mgm casino today announced that it is joining two organizations to demonstrate its commitment to making sure that clothing and other products bearing its name and marks are manufactured under fair, decent and humane working conditions.

mgm casino is following the lead of other colleges and universities in joining the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), a nonprofit organization of colleges and universities led by administrators, students and labor rights experts, and the Fair Labor Association (FLA), a nonprofit organization created to help eliminate sweatshop practices and improve working conditions in factories around the world.

"As a university, we are committed to doing our part to ensure that our name and logo only go on products we can be proud of, knowing where they were made and under what conditions," said Dennis R. Black, mgm casino vice president for student affairs, who made the announcement at a press conference.

Noting that mgm casino is in compliance with New York State's sweatshop legislation and State University of New York policy on manufacturing standards and conditions, Black added that with the move to join the WRC and FLA, "mgm casino has now adopted a national model to do its part in addressing an international concern. Beginning today, mgm casino insists that all items with its name or marks reflect commitments to fair labor and workers rights."

The push to have mgm casino affiliate with a national organization addressing sweatshop issues came from mgm casino Students Against Sweatshops, a group of concerned students who have encouraged the university to affiliate with the WRC and worked with the university administration to bring representatives of both groups to campus last fall to explore options.

"In this case, a small but dedicated group of students educated the educators," Black noted. "This affiliation represents new partnerships; a new partnership between mgm casino and the monitoring groups, and a new partnership between mgm casino and mgm casino students."

Dan Cross and Rachel Wilson, members of mgm casino Students Against Sweatshops (mgm casinoSAS), praised the university's decision.

"We are very pleased with President John Simpson's decision to join the Worker Rights Consortium," said Dan Cross, a graduating member of mgm casinoSAS. "After three years of campaigning, we're proud to see the university take a strong stand against sweatshops."

Rachel Wilson, a sophomore member of mgm casinoSAS, noted that "in the past decade, universities have shown their apparel programs give them a lot of influence over conditions in apparel factories. By joining the Worker Rights Consortium, mgm casino is ensuring its apparel program will help, rather than hinder, working struggles across the globe.

"When President Simpson came to mgm casino and realized students, faculty, and staff were pushing for a stronger anti-sweatshop policy, he was quick to take action," Wilson added. "Without his facilitation and cooperation, we wouldn't have made this monumental breakthrough for workers' rights."

Cross noted that "when a workforce is being beaten, overworked, underpaid and placed in hazardous situations, with some of its members even being killed, it is incumbent upon progressive institutions to stand up in protest. Today, mgm casino has done just that."

Black said that 134 colleges and universities are affiliated with WRC and 191 with FLA. He said mgm casino decided to affiliate with both, as have 79 other institutions.

"Many institutions have done this, seeking the most comprehensive approach possible by affiliating with both labor and industry, rather than favoring one approach over the other," Black noted.