Remediation of University Code Violations at Collegiate Factory in El Salvador

The Worker Rights Consortium is glad to report the remediation of violations of university codes of conduct at Santa Ana Apparel, a garment factory in El Salvador owned by Fruit of the Loom, which has been disclosed as a supplier of collegiate apparel by the university licensees Hotline Apparel Systems, Ohiopyle Prints, and Wideworld Sportswear.
 
A WRC investigation found that, in May of this year, Fruit of the Loom violated university codes of conduct by unlawfully firing five workers who had, only days before, been elected by their coworkers as officers of an already-established worker union at the factory. After being informed of the WRC’s findings, the company reinstated all five employees, with full back pay, and has agreed to take further measures to affirm its commitment to respecting workers’ right to freedom of association at the factory.
 
The five workers who were reinstated told the WRC that they sought leadership roles in the union in the hopes of helping improve treatment of workers by supervisors and giving their coworkers a greater voice about conditions at the factory. Fruit of the Loom initially claimed that its management was unaware the five had been elected as union officers when it fired them. However, the WRC’s investigation determined that this was untrue and that a factory manager had told the workers, when dismissing them, “You all are ungrateful because you are involved in the union.”
 
The WRC informed Fruit of the Loom that, under university codes of conduct, the company was required to remedy the unlawful firings. Last week, Fruit of the Loom reinstated all five fired worker leaders and paid each of them their full back wages back to the date they were terminated—more than $1,000 each. On the WRC’s recommendation, Fruit of the Loom has also agreed to issue a statement to all the factory’s workers, affirming the company’s commitment to respect their freedom of association, and to hold a training at the factory on this fundamental workplace right.
 
Upholding the associational rights of Fruit of the Loom employees in El Salvador is of heightened importance as this incident came shortly after the company also moved to close its two remaining unionized garment factories in the neighboring country of Honduras. In light of the company’s apparent shift away from leadership in respecting these rights, the recent unlawful firings at Fruit of the Loom’s El Salvador operations are cause for particular concern.
 
Given the El Salvador factory’s production of collegiate apparel, the WRC will be engaging closely with the company and the workers’ union to ensure that such incidents do not reoccur and that compliance with university standards is maintained going forward.
 
Please let us know if you have any questions.