Two American universities clamp down on student anti-sweatshop protests

On April 3, twelve students attending the University of Michigan were arrested after eight hours of a sit-in, occupying the reception area of President Mary Sue Coleman’s office.

The students are members of Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality (SOLE), a student organization at the University of Michigan that, according to the SOLE website, “advocates for social justice and labor justice through direct action, education, and nationally coordinated campaigns.”

The students staged the sit-in in an attempt to pressure the University to sign onto the Designated Suppliers Program, a set of regulations governing labor conditions in the production of university apparel.

Shortly after her arrival, at 9 am, President Mary Sue Coleman met briefly with the students to say, “We don’t accept demands from students.” According to University police spokeswoman Diane Brown, the students were “polite, responsible and completely well-behaved.” Between 6 and 7 pm the students were arrested for trespassing. They were released shortly after 8 pm and are forbidden from entering the Fleming Building again.

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http://wsws.org/articles/2007/apr2007/stud-a17.shtml