Does a person have the right to sustain himself?

In an increasingly global marketplace, clothing manufacturers contract the lowest labor costs available to remain competitive, regardless of the repercussions. Direct vendors like the UT bookstore commonly deal with intermediaries that outsource production to manufacturers overseas with poor labor practices.

Gretchen Chromas and Jayanni Webster want to change that.

“A fair wage … supports the right for all individuals and workers to receive payment for their work that reflects their hours and effort and helps them live more than impoverished lives,” Webster said in a statement. “I personally believe it’s a human right and everyone’s responsibility to support fair wages.”

Both women believe that philosophy should be applicable to UT’s sales model.

“Fair wages should be the bottom line for human rights when we’re looking at how UT’s apparel business is directed,” Webster said.

Chomas sees the life-changing benefit that an appropriate wage can bring to an individual.

“People who are paid a fair wage are able to purchase clean water and adequate food and other necessities of life,” Chomas said. “Therefore they have a higher quality of life, less disease and fewer health problems. It also increases self worth knowing that they are going to really be able to live on that wage and not just exist.”

Possessing a drive to promote change, both young women were driven to play some role in improving global working conditions.

“Since my freshman year I’ve been working with Amnesty International at UTK and about two years ago we were in the midst of a sweatshop-free campaign at UT,” Webster said. “It ended with the university affiliating with the Workers Rights Consortium, which is a third-party watch-dog organization that monitors where our UT apparel is being made. Students worked really hard to instate WRC affiliation, but we recognize it is just a step in the right direction. Even with WRC, violations, like the one adidas is implicated in at the PT Kizone factory, continue to occur.”

Alta Gracia, a fair-wage manufacturer in the Dominican Republic, promotes a different type of business model.

“We like Alta Gracia because it goes above and beyond anything else offered in the bookstore by paying living-wages, embracing its factory union and allowing WRC unrestricted access to monitor its business in a way no business has ever opened itself up to before.”

After that success, both students continued in their cause. Chomas’ focus on improving working conditions in apparel factories sparked their quest to see fair-wage manufactured products supplied by UT’s bookstore.

“Alta Gracia is based on the principle that workers should be paid a living wage that allows them basic needs such as clean water, shelter, food, education and health care without charging more than other brands,” Chomas said. “Alta Gracia aims to treat their workers as human beings by providing a safe workplace, a non-threatening atmosphere and the right to form a union.”

“When I heard about Alta Gracia from Gretchen I knew this was the next step in the process — to directly order apparel from a union-friendly, fair-wage paying company,” Webster said.

This firm is truly unique, possessing the courage to reject industry norms and forge a new business model.

“The great part about Alta Gracia is that the employer actually benefits from fair working conditions,” Chomas said. “Other schools like NYU and Duke have seen a positive revenue impact. Not only does the employer benefit, but the entire community benefits. … It allows the worker to not only have their basic needs met, but also provides them with enough to obtain some things beyond necessity.”

After being alerted to the existence of such a manufacturer, Webster and Chomas’ only obstacle now lies in persuading the university.

“We met with the bookstore and requested $300,000 worth of wholesale product to match the proven successes in sales at other schools,” Chomas said. “Though more than 15 student groups signed on to this request, vouching that they would purchase Alta Gracia and help spread the word, the bookstore denied this request. This should be an easy choice as the product is superior in production, the company is ensuring that their workers are being treated fairly, and the workers are.”

“The response was not positive,” Webster said. “We need the UT community to come together on this issue to help the bookstore and its administration make the right decision.”

Both young women believe the ramifications of such changes are essential to UT’s role in the global community.

“On a larger scale this movement for fair labor, union-friendly clothing has started in the university setting, but ideally, people will realize that it is possible to produce a quality product and this will spread,” Chomas said. “It will hopefully provide jobs that will increase the quality of life for the people living in the DR.”

David Kent, head of UT’s bookstore, discussed the bookstore’s intention to explore the possibility of working with Alta Gracia.

“The concerned students supporting Alta Gracia expressed interest in the bookstore carrying the line in the fall,” Kent said. “I told them we would look at the line when we went to market and invite the manufacturer to campus to showcase that line, which we did. We are looking into the process of carrying their product, but we have to make sure we have a place for the merchandise and that it fits well with other merchandise sold in our store.”

Kent is evaluating the details of Alta Gracia’s business practices in his decision-making processes.

“The plant is endorsed by the Workers Rights Consortium, which is a good organization, effective at making sure the plant pays employees a living wage,” Kent said. “One thing I did find out at market is that Alta Gracia only makes the pieces there, and that the university insignia is actually applied by a factory here in the U.S. that is not certified by the Workers Rights Consortium, so that’s something we’re looking into.”

Kent stressed the importance the bookstore places on the sourcing of its products.

“We are interested in talking with the company more and involving students,” Kent said. “The bookstore carries a lot of U.S.-made products and Tennessee-made products. We take a lot of effort to ensure that the products we carry in our store are manufactured by factories that do offer a living wage to their employees. We have met with Alta Gracia, and we are waiting to hear back from them about a campus visit to show their products and to meet with both us and the students.”

Webster can’t fathom any drawbacks for UT in supporting their efforts. She believes only awareness is lacking to generate support for this cause.

“Alta Gracia would literally cost the university nothing to affiliate aside from the cost of ordering the apparel — which they already do with adidas, which is known for sweatshops,” Webster said. “It’s something I feel if students knew about, they would support. As you gear up and put on your orange and white, wouldn’t it be nice to know that it was made in a place that pays their workers a living wage and upholds safety and health standards?”

Both young women have high expectations for their efforts.

“Once the product is in the bookstore, we want to see Alta Gracia at UT as a prominent brand,” Chomas said. “We want Alta Gracia to be the first thing Volunteers see when they walk into the bookstore. We want Alta Gracia to be frequently re-stocked and re-ordered.”

Their work is already drumming up broad interest on campus.

“Dr. Fran Ansley, law professor emeritus, was our initial faculty supporter and has been a great source of support,” Webster said. “Now we have over 50 faculty sponsors. Groups backing us include Amnesty International @ UTK, Community Partnership Service Corps, SPEAK, Progressive Student Alliance and the United Campus Workers.”

Students who have an interest in achieving these aims are encouraged to participate in the push for change.

“Contact Gretchen or myself,” Webster said. “We also have a Facebook going to help generate awareness on the next steps we will take. Step up and speak out. Join the movement!”