• Tuesday, November 24, 2009
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Purdue Students Begin Hunger Strike to Push for Tougher Line on 'Sweatshop' Labor

About a dozen students at Purdue University are staging a hunger strike to pressure the Indiana university to stop allowing apparel companies to use what the strikers call “sweatshop” labor to manufacture garments bearing the Purdue logo and colors. According to The Indianapolis Star, one student has not eaten since November 20 and another has not eaten solid food since November 17. Purdue is already a member of the Worker Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association, two groups that claim to monitor working conditions at factories where university-licensed apparel is made. The protesters want Purdue to adopt higher standards for its licensees.