Speaking at the VPPPA meeting, OSHA chief Charles Jeffress noted an emerging force in workplace safety and health advocacy: more than 50 U.S. college campuses have chapters of United Students Against Sweatshops. USAS seeks to persuade students as well as universities buying licensed apparel to boycott manufacturers that contract with overseas factories where workers labor for low wages in unsafe conditions.
“This group is expanding, and its influence is growing. It will be a short step from the focus on apparel to a focus on other consumer products,” said Jeffress.