Enacts the "sweatshop-free college apparel act" which requires institutions in the state of New York establish a sweat-free code of conduct in line with labor standards established by the Workers Right Consortium.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6958
SPONSOR: Raga TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "sweatsh-
op-free college apparel act"
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill requires all New York universities and colleges to affiliate
with the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) and follow their Model Code of
Conduct when purchasing and licensing college apparel. This ensures no
college apparel sold is made with sweatshop labor.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 names this bill the "Sweatshop-free College Apparel Act".
Section 2 amends the education law by adding a new section 207-c to
provide relevant definitions, provide guidelines for the adoption and
implementation of the code of conduct, and lists the reporting require-
ments.
Section 3 amends the education law by adding a new section 215-e to
pro.i7ide the annual reporting requirements for colleges and universi-
ties. The annual reports will be made publicly available on the insti-
tution's website and will be provided to the Governor and legislature.
JUSTIFICATION:
College apparel is a multi-billion dollar industry and numerous colleges
continue to contract with vendors abroad that capitalize exploiting
workers. Violations range from wage theft, to unsafe working conditions,
to physical and emotional abuse of workers. This is in large part due to
minimal regulation in U.S. trade policy, allowing higher education
institutions to profit off of labor exploitation. This issue is not just
concentrated on factories abroad. Cities such as Los Angeles, California
still have a multitude of facilities employing sweatshop labor. Vulner-
able communities in the United States, such as undocumented residents,
are at major risk of being forced into the sweatshop industry.
Some higher education institutions across the state have voluntarily
adhered to a code of conduct regarding ethical business practices when
licensing apparel; this voluntary basis, however, lacks enforcement
mechanisms. Several universities, including some currently affiliated
with the Worker Rights Consortium's (WRC), have been found in violation
of its code of conduct. By requiring government supervision, these
universities can be held accountable and New York State can begin to
become a model for ethical business practices in the industry.
The WRC is a labor rights monitoring non-profit organization that inves-
tigates working conditions in factories to combat sweatshop conditions,
shed light on the practices of global retailers that perpetuate labor
rights abuses, and protect the rights of workers who make apparel and
other products. The WRC operates independently from the apparel indus-
try, ensuring unbiased enforcement of labor standards. Additionally, the
WRC Model Code of Conduct is comprehensive, covering areas such as legal
compliance, employment standards, wages, hours, overtime, child labor,
forced labor, health and safety, discrimination, harassment, abuse, and
collective bargaining. It also specifies compliance and disclosure
requirements.
Institutions affiliated with the WRC receive independent, accurate, and
constant reviews of factories producing their college apparel. Addi-
tionally, upon identifying any issues, the WRC works directly with
licensees, factory managers, workers and any relevant advocates to move
towards compliance without any need for the institution itself to get
involved, although participation is encouraged. They also provide infor-
mation on industry trends affecting the industry as well as access to
labor rights experts and advocates.
This bill will ensure New York state higher education institutions no
longer profit off sweatshop labor when selling and licensing college
apparel.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New legislation.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6958
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 18, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RAGA -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "sweatsh-
op-free college apparel act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "sweatshop-free college apparel act".
3 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 207-c to
4 read as follows:
5 § 207-c. Sweat-free code of conduct. 1. Definitions. For the purposes
6 of this section, the term "institution" shall mean any degree-granting
7 entity, including colleges, universities, and other post-secondary
8 educational entities, authorized to operate in the state of New York by
9 the department. Such institutions shall include, but not be limited to,
10 institutions chartered by the regents, incorporated by a special act of
11 the legislature, or otherwise permitted to maintain a campus or offer
12 educational programs within the state of New York.
13 2. Adoption and implementation of code of conduct. Each institution
14 shall adopt and implement a sweat-free code of conduct for the purchase
15 and licensing of apparel by such institutions as part of its operational
16 policies and ensure compliance, including provisions for enforcement and
17 remediation of any violations of such code of conduct. The sweat-free
18 code of conduct shall meet or exceed the labor standards established by
19 the Workers Right Consortium (WRC) Model Code of Conduct. Each institu-
20 tion shall also affiliate with the WRC and participate in a designated
21 supplier program to effectively enforce such code of conduct provisions.
22 3. Reporting requirements. The department shall submit preliminary and
23 final reports to the governor and the legislature, listing institution
24 in compliance with such institution's sweat-free code of conduct, those
25 affiliated with the WRC, and details on non-compliant purchasing and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04129-01-5
A. 6958 2
1 licensing agreements with apparel manufacturers, including such licens-
2 ing agreement's expiration date. Further, the chief executive officer of
3 any non-compliant institution shall submit a detailed explanation on why
4 such institution is not in compliance with such institution's code of
5 conduct or has not established a code of conduct and a timeline for full
6 compliance to the department, to be included in the reports submitted to
7 the governor and the legislature.
8 § 3. The education law is amended by adding a new section 215-e to
9 read as follows:
10 § 215-e. Annual reporting for sweat-free code of conduct. 1. Annual
11 reports to the department. Each institution shall submit an annual
12 report to the department detailing such institution's compliance with
13 the code of conduct such institution established pursuant to section two
14 hundred seven-c of this part, including violations, corrective actions
15 taken and efforts to align apparel licensing practices with ethical
16 labor standards. Institutions shall make these annual compliance reports
17 publicly available on such institution's website no later than the first
18 day of August of each year for the preceding school year.
19 2. Annual reports to the governor and the legislature. The department
20 shall prepare and submit an annual report to the governor and the legis-
21 lature, listing all institutions in compliance with a sweat-free code of
22 conduct established pursuant to section two hundred seven-c of this
23 part, including information on non-compliant purchasing and licensing
24 agreements with apparel manufacturers. Such report shall be made public-
25 ly available on the same page as the departments publicly available
26 education data.
27 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
