Justice League News

Stuff going on now:

**Menstration & Feminism Skillshare
Wednesday March 29th HL116 8pm
Help Allison!
Make flyers/posters, tablesitting, participate, and/or make an announcement at a class.

**Screen Printing Shillshare
Tuesday & Wednesday April 11th & 12th
Help EPOCA prepare for thier event by making T-shirts

**Busted: Moved to a tentative Wednesday

Future events:

**Consensus Training
Replace a Justice meeting one Thursday after April 8th -- More in the future

**Earth Day is April 22nd. Alt food on the 21st or 24th? Work with Soccomm (Julia) and Gaea

**Solar Panels. Gaea has solar pannels to play with. Ideas for future projects?

We had a nice little chat with Gail Dines, the Sexism/Pornography speaker, at the end of our meeting. We should do more fun things like this in the future.

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Wed, Mar 15, Make anti-war banners @ 8pm. Meet in the wedge.
Thu, Mar 16, 2000+ crosses on the quad to remember the dead from the Iraq war
Fri, Mar 17, 2000+ crosses on the quad to remember the dead from the Iraq war
Sat, Mar 18, Anti-war rally & march in Boston @ 11am. Meet at Blue Hill Ave. and Dudley St.
...
Mon, Mar 20, Student march against the war. Meet on the quad @ 3pm.
Tue, Mar 21, Film: "We Interrupt This Empire" in OL 107 @ 8PM
Wed, Mar 22, Skillshare: "Busted" in Kinnicut @ 8PM
Thu, Mar 23, Affirmative Action Discussion by Calvin Hill @ 5PM in Taylor room in the Campus Center
Thu, Mar 23, General Meeting in Hagglund Room in the Campus Center @ 8pm
...
Tue, Mar 28, Film: "Peacable Kingdom" In Kinnicut Hall @ 8PM
Wed, Mar 29, Skillshare: "Feminism & Menstruation" in HL 116 @ 8PM
Thu, Mar 30, General Meeting: Taylor Room @ 7:30PM
Fri, Mar 31, Critical Mass Bike Ride: Meet on the quad at 5PM or at the Turtle Boy Statue at 5:30PM.
Sat, Apr 1 Play a joke on someone

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Organizing Packet (PDF)
Sweat-Free List (PDF)

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* What are sweatshops?
* What can I do to help stop sweatshops?
* Aren't sweat free clothes way more expensive?
* I've heard that that all of WPI's products are sweat-free already. Why is there a No-Sweat campaign?
* What is the WRC?

What are sweatshops?
Sweatshops are any workplace (but especially most overseas garment factories) where workers are subjected to brutal conditions, long hours, and human rights abuses for very low pay. In sweatshops, people are forced to work in conditions that are dangerously below safety codes. They must work long hours (much more than the standard American eight hour workday). If they complain, or if their bosses don't think they're working hard enough (usually due to exhaustion and malnutrition), workers are routinely beaten or sexually abused in the worst of these factories. Most sweatshop workers around the world make less than two dollars a day, and some much less. A sweatshop worker can make anywhere from three to twenty five cents for producing a sweater that sells in a campus bookstore for $40. This is less than half of what they need to meet a basic standard of living, much less provide basic healthcare, nutrition, and shelter to a small family.

Many sweatshops trick workers into signing complex contracts that trap them into working in a sweatshop, making barely enough to feed themselves, and then forced to live in a factory dormitory packed with other workers (the typical sweatshop dorm measures 8' x 8' and houses 5 workers). This closely resembles what we would recognize as indentured servitude or slavery. Workers in sweatshops are not allowed to unionize in order to advocate their interests and needs. If they do, their best hopes are to be fired. People who emerge as union leaders are often beaten into submission, or in some cases, executed by death squads hired by factory owners¹.

What can I do to help stop sweatshops?
Sweatshops thrive on two things: the ignorance and support of uninformed consumers. If the many consumers were made aware of how sweatshop clothing is manufactured, they'd naturally be appalled. Corporations who use sweatshop labor do whatever they can from allowing this information to come to light. Despite this, cases of repeated sweatshop abuse from many major corporations are well-documented.

You can help shut down sweatshops by boycotting companies who rely on sweatshop labor. Instead, you can use your buying power to support clothing manufacturers who do not use sweatshop labor. Many large companies have made a policy of supporting fair labor and trade. These companies pay their factory workers a livable wage (enough money to afford food, shelter, and basic healthcare) and provide a safe workplace with respect to the worker's basic human rights. Workers in these factories have the power to voice their concerns, and the right to organize in support of their interests. In fact, many of your favorite clothing companies may already be sweat free. To find out if a company is sweat free, consult our list of sweat-free companies.

If you'd like to do more, consider volunteering to help with your local anti-sweatshop movement. Your involvement can range anywhere from educating your friends and families about the issue to running your own local campaign. You can help by signing a petition, writing a letter to your president or board of trustees, or just by talking to your school bookstore manager. If you are a part of an organization or school government, get your organization to adopt a no-sweat pledge, or endorse a campus-wide policy.

Aren't sweat free clothes way more expensive?
The truth is that sweat-free clothes need not be more expensive than regular clothing. About 75% of the cost of a garment is profit for the garment manufacturer, the brand name company, or the store that sells the item. Only 1-1.5% of the cost of the item goes towards the wages of the worker who produced the item. Many companies that produce sweat-free clothing simply absorb the cost of paying their workers more. To them, this means accepting a 73% profit instead of 75%. Other companies simply raise their prices in accord with their labor costs. However, the difference for the consumer is little. Buying a sweat-free t-shirt might mean paying $20.25 instead of $20. The difference may be small to us, but for a garment worker in Malaysia, it may mean the difference between enough food for the entire family and being forced to starve his or her children. For more information, please see our cost analysis of sweat-free clothing.

I've heard that that all of WPI's products are sweat-free already. Why is there a No-Sweat campaign?
Almost all of the clothing sold and distributed by the school is made by the companies who are members of the Fair Labor Association, or FLA. The FLA is an organization dedicated to representing the interests of the world's biggest garment manufacturers, not to representing the interests and safety of workers. The FLA supposedly monitors factories to make sure that the workplaces meet an arbitrary standard of quality. However, these inspections are often spotty and lax, in response to the wishes of the FLA governing bodies (the same companies who abuse sweatshop labor sit on the board of directors of the FLA). Additional inspections from independent groups suggest that FLA factories fall far below international standards for fair labor. Many of the same factories inspected and approved by the FLA have been condemned by others as some of the worst sweatshops imaginable. Asking the FLA to police the actions of major garment manufacturers is like asking the Saddam Hussein to hire his own chemical weapons inspectors instead of allowing the United Nations to carry out an independent investigation. Be wary of FLA companies who claim their clothes are sweat free. There is still a critical need for these companies to allow independent, third-party inspectors to monitor garment factories.

What is the WRC?
The Worker's Rights Consortium, or WRC, is a non-profit interest group that represents over 140 colleges and universities across the United States. Clark University, Harvard, MIT, and more have all adopted sweat-free policies under the guidance of the Worker's Rights Consortium. The Worker Rights Consortium was created by college and university administrations, students and labor rights experts. The WRC's purpose is to assist in the enforcement of manufacturing Codes of Conduct adopted by colleges and universities; these Codes are designed to ensure that factories producing clothing and other goods bearing college and university names respect the basic rights of workers. The WRC helps schools to ensure that their garments are sweat-free. They also advocate for worker's rights, often negotiating for better pay and conditions in sweatshops around the world. The WRC is an independent, non-biased, third-party, unlike the FLA. For more information on the WRC, please visit www.workersrights.org

1: Source - killercoke.org
All other information from United Students Against Sweatshops.

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Goals
Below are the current goals and objectives of our campaign, categorized by the scope of the objective:

Clubs and Organizations
* Encourage clubs to go sweat free (see sweat-free petition for clubs)

SGA
* Non-binding resolution encouraging clubs to use sweat-free garments.

Campus-wide
* Educate the public (students, faculty, etc) about sweatshop abuses and how to find alternatives to purchasing sweatshop garments.
* Get WPI to join Worker's Rights Consortium (WRC).
* Get WPI to adopt a sweat-free policy
* Bookstore compliance with school-wide policy

Steering Committee
The No Sweat steering committee meets every Thursday at 8:30 PM in the Campus Center. Its members are:
* Jeff DiMaria
* Greg Opperman
* Cody Rank
* Brianna Roy
* Allison Vasallo
* Drew Wilson
* Chloe Wiseman

Sweatshop Facts and Statistics
* The university clothing industry is worth over $3 billion dollars annually. Most of those clothes are manufactured in sweatshops.
* Sweatshop workers earn as little as one half to one fourth of what they need to provide for basic nutrition, shelter, energy, clothing, education, and transportation.
* In order to meet the basic nutritional needs of their families, sweatshop workers spend between 50-75% of their income on food alone.
* Worker wages typically account for 1-1.5% of the final retail cost of a garment. For example, a worker is typically paid 25 cents to make a $20 shirt. If the price were raised to $20.25, the brand could double the worker's salary with no loss of profit.
* Almost 75% of the retail price of a garment is pure profit for the manufacturer and retailer. That means that if the manufacturer absorbed the cost to double a worker's salary (as in the example above), their profit would decrease only to $14.75 instead of $15.
* Nike Chairman Phil Knight makes $14,000 a day; An Indonesian garment worker makes $2.50 a day.
* For less than 1% of Nike's advertising budget, wages could be doubled for all workers making Nike university clothing.
* According to US government data, in the past 10 years the price for cotton-knit shirts paid by US brands to factories has fallen 50%, on average. This drop in price has not been reflected in consumer retail prices.

Get Involved
There are several different ways you can become involved in the No Sweat campaign:

Sign the petition
Support the No Sweat campaign by signing our petition, and urging WPI to go sweat-free.

Tell others about the campaign
You can also help out by telling others about our campaign. Ask your friends and family to stop buying sweatshop goods, and urge them to sign our petition.

Join the campaign
The No Sweat campaign currently needs your help. Become an active part of the campaign today! You can do as much or as little as you have time for, and it's a great way to get involved in the community. E-mail oppy@wpi.edu to find out more. As a volunteer, you can:
* Collect petition signatures
* Help promote events (tabling, leaflets, etc.)
* Educate others about sweatshops and persuade them to go sweat-free
* Become a member of the steering committee
* Participate in direct action
-And more!

If you're interested, please e-mail oppy@wpi.edu for more information, or talk to any member of the No Sweat campaign.
So do two other documents.

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Article I - Name
The name of this club shall be "Justice."

Article II - Purpose
Section 1
Justice shall pursue its first goal by increasing awareness of and taking action against social, economic, environmental, and political injustices.

Section 2
Justice shall pursue its primary goal by providing a forum through which all students can voice opinions and mobilize on issues on campus, locally, and globally.

Section 3
Justice shall not be not officially affiliated with any local, regional or national groups.

Section 4
Justice's purpose is consistent with WPI's mission to get engineering and science students out of the classroom and into the world.

Section 5
Justice aims to be a lgbqt positive, anti-sexist, anti-racist, anti-classist, anti-ableist, non-hierarchical organization

Section 6
Justice opposes imperialsim, neoliberalism, neocolonialism, and all other unjust systems imposed on unwilling peoples.

Article III - Membership
Section 1
Membership is open to all WPI students, staff, and faculty regardless of race, creed, religion, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, marital status, class, income or national origin.

Section 2
Active members are defined as people who actively participate in the group on a regular basis

Section 3
Justice shall ensure that it's membership does not practice hazing of any kind.

Section 4
No member shall be required to take part in any activity that they do not wish to participate in.

Article IV - Officers and Election
Section 1
The officers of this group shall include a president, a vice president, a secretary and a treasurer.

Section 2
Officers will be chosen by consensus at the end of each semester to determine the officers for the following semester.

Section 3
In the case that consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken for officers

Section 4
Any officer who has not fulfilled the duties of office may be removed from office by a consensus of the remaining members at any regular meeting.

Article V - Meetings
Section 1
Meetings will be held weekly with a duration of approximately one hour.

Section 2
Emergency meetings may be called by agreement of the club officers.

Section 3
At the start of each meeting, the meeting process will be explained to all new members. Old members will introduce themselves to new members.

Section 4
After the explanation of the process and introductions, the group must chose a facilitator, time keeper, note taker and mediator.

Section 5
A facilitator for a regular meeting shall have been already chosen at the end of the previous regular meeting. If for some reason, a facilitator has not been chosen, the president will facilitate during the process of choosing a facilitator.

Section 6
The meeting facilitator will create an agenda before each regular meeting based on the previous meetings notes and suggestions from members. The agenda should include an estimated time for each item.

Section 7
The role of the facilitator is to aid the group in defining decisions that need to be made, help them through the stages of reaching an agreement, keep the meeting moving, focus discussion to the point at hand, makes sure everyone has the opportunity to participate, and formulate and test to see if consensus has been reached.

Section 8
Facilitators help to direct the process of the meeting, not its content. They never make decisions for the group. If a facilitator feels too emotionally involved in an issue or discussion and cannot remain neutral in behavior, if not in attitude, then she should ask someone to take over the task of facilitation for that agenda item.

Section 9
The time keeper will warn the group when it reaches the estimated time for an agenda item.

Section 10
The note taker will record the minutes of the meeting and post them to the mailing list with the assistance of the secretary if necessary.

Section 11
The mediator will keep track of who has spoken and in what order people have raised their hands. She will make sure that one person or group does not dominate the discussion, and that everyone gets a chance to speak.

Section 12
After roles have been assigned, the facilitator will present the agenda and allow members to bring up new agenda items.

Section 13
Each agenda item that requires a decision will go through the consensus process.

Section 14
Initially, the proposal will be presented to the group and there will be a discussion period during which the proposal may be amended and modified, or withdrawn if it seems to be a dead end. During this discussion period it is important that all members articulate differences clearly. It is the responsibility of those who are having trouble with a proposal to put forth alternative suggestions.

Section 15
When a proposal seems to be well understood by everyone, and there are no new changes asked for, the facilitator can ask if there are any objections or reservations to it. If there are no objections, there can be a call for consensus. If there are still no objections, then after a moment of silence we have our decision. Once consensus does appear to have been reached, the facilitator should repeat the decision to the group so everyone is clear on what has been decided.

Section 16
There are several levels of objection:

Non-support ("I don't see the need for this, but I'll go along.")
Reservations ("I think this may be a mistake but I can live with it.")
Standing aside ("I personally can't do this, but I won't stop others from doing it.")
Blocking ("I cannot support this or allow the group to support this.")

Obviously, if many people express non-support or reservations or stand aside or leave the group, it may not be a viable decision even if no one directly blocks it.

Article VI - Amendments to Constitution and Bylaws
Section 1
All proposed amendments will be presented orally during regular club meetings. An electronic or printed copy of any proposed amendment shall be made available upon the request of any member.

Section 2
Amendments may be ratified by group consensus at the regular meeting following their presentation.

Article VII - Officer Duties and Responsibilities

Section 1
All officers must act consistently with the purpose of the club as defined in the constitution.

Section 2
All officers must attend at least three quarters of the scheduled meetings.

Section 3
The president shall be the official representative of the club. He/she will receive club mail and serve as a official liaison between the club and the rest of the world.

Section 4
The secretary is responsible for making sure that notes are taken at each meeting and posted to the appropriate mailing lists. He/she is also responsible for making sure that the web page is updated.

Section 5
The treasurer is responsible for taking care of expenditures, preparing budgets, and dealing with other monetary matters. He/she shall have no power to decide how money is distributed, as that privilege is reserved for the group.

Section 6
The vice-president is responsible for aiding the president in his/her duties.

Section 7
The club may delegate the responsibilities of any officer as necessary.

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What is consensus?
Consensus is a process for group decision-making. It is a method by which an entire group of people can come to an agreement. The input and ideas of all participants are gathered and synthesized to arrive at a final decision acceptable to all. Through consensus, we are not only working to achieve better solutions, but also to promote the growth of community and trust.

Consensus vs. voting
Voting is a means by which we choose one alternative from several. Consensus, on the other hand, is a process of synthesizing many diverse elements together.

Voting is a win or lose model, in which people are more often concerned with the numbers it takes to "win" than with the issue itself. Voting does not take into account individual feelings or needs. In essence, it is a quantitative, rather than qualitative, method of decision-making.

With consensus people can and should work through differences and reach a mutually satisfactory position. It is possible for one person's insights or strongly held beliefs to sway the whole group. No ideas are lost, each member's input is valued as part of the solution.

A group committed to consensus may utilize other forms of decision making (individual, compromise, majority rules) when appropriate; however, a group that has adopted a consensus model will use that process for any item that brings up a lot of emotions, is something that concerns people's ethics, politics, morals or other areas where there is much investment.

What does consensus mean?
Consensus does not mean that everyone thinks that the decision made is necessarily the best one possible, or even that they are sure it will work. What it does mean is that in coming to that decision, no one felt that her/his position on the matter was misunderstood or that it wasn't given a proper hearing. Hopefully, everyone will think it is the best decision; this often happens because, when it works, collective intelligence does come up with better solutions than could individuals.

Consensus takes more time and member skill, but uses lots of resources before a decision is made, creates commitment to the decision and often facilitates creative decision. It gives everyone some experience with new processes of interaction and conflict resolution, which is basic but important skill-building. For consensus to be a positive experience, it is best if the group has 1) common values, 2) some skill in group process and conflict resolution, or a commitment to let these be facilitated, 3) commitment and responsibility to the group by its members and 4) sufficient time for everyone to participate in the process.

Forming the consensus proposals
During discussion a proposal for resolution is put forward. It is amended and modified through more discussion, or withdrawn if it seems to be a dead end. During this discussion period it is important to articulate differences clearly. It is the responsibility of those who are having trouble with a proposal to put forth alternative suggestions.

The fundamental right of consensus is for all people to be able to express themselves in their own words and of their own will. The fundamental responsibility of consensus is to assure others of their right to speak and be heard. Coercion and trade-offs are replaced with creative alternatives, and compromise with synthesis.

When a proposal seems to be well understood by everyone, and there are no new changes asked for, the facilitator(s) can ask if there are any objections or reservations to it. If there are no objections, there can be a call for consensus. If there are still no objections, then after a moment of silence you have your decision. Once consensus does appear to have been reached, it really helps to have someone repeat the decision to the group so everyone is clear on what has been decided.

Difficulties in reaching consensus
If a decision has been reached, or is on the verge of being reached that you cannot support, there are several ways to express your objections:
Non-support ("I don't see the need for this, but I'll go along.")
Reservations ('I think this may be a mistake but I can live with it.")
Standing aside ("I personally can't do this, but I won't stop others from doing it. ")
Blocking ("I cannot support this or allow the group to support this. It is immoral." If a final decision violates someone's fundamental moral values they are obligated to block consensus.)
Withdrawing from the group. Obviously, if many people express non-support or reservations or stand aside or leave the group, it may not be a viable decision even if no one directly blocks it. This is what is known as a "lukewarm" consensus and it is just as desirable as a lukewarm beer or a lukewarm bath.

If consensus is blocked and no new consensus can be reached, the group stays with whatever the previous decision was on the subject, or does nothing if that is applicable. Major philosophical or moral questions that will come up with each affinity group will have to be worked through as soon as the group forms.

Roles in a consensus meeting
There are several roles which, if filled, can help consensus decision making run smoothly. The facilitator(s) aids the group in defining decisions that need to be made, helps them through the stages of reaching an agreement, keeps the meeting moving, focuses discussion to the point-at hand; makes sure everyone has the opportunity to participate, and formulates and tests to see if consensus has been reached. Facilitators help to direct the process of the meeting, not its content. They never make decisions for the group. If a facilitator feels too emotionally involved in an issue or discussion and cannot remain neutral in behavior, if not in attitude, then s/he should ask someone to take over the task of facilitation for that agenda item.

A vibes-watcher is someone besides the facilitator who watches and comments on individual and group feelings and patterns of participation. Vibes-watchers need to be especially tuned in to the sexism of group dynamics.

A recorder can take notes on the meeting, especially of decisions made and means of implementation and a time-keeper keeps things going on schedule so that each agenda item can be covered in the time allotted for it (if discussion runs over the time for an item, the group may or may not decide to contract for more time to finish up).

Even though individuals take on these roles, all participants in a meeting should be aware of and involved in the issues, process, and feelings of the group, and should share their individual expertise in helping the group run smoothly and reach a decision. This is especially true when it comes to finding compromise agreements to seemingly contradictory positions.

Taken from: http://www.actupny.org/documents/CDdocuments/Consensus.html

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Justice is an organization focused on increasing awareness of, and taking action against social, economic, environmental, and political injustices. With weekly meetings at which a consensus process is used, Justice serves as a forum through which all students, faculty, and staff can voice opinions and mobilize on issues of their choice on campus, locally, and globally. Although Justice is not officially affiliated with any local, regional or national groups, it emphasizes working together with other organizations.

The old website has been moved to /oldsite and I've cleaned up the links that no longer work.

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