Letter from Jim Wilkerson to Lands' End
The following letter, written by Duke's director of trademark licensing and stores operations, outlines why Duke has suspended renewal of its trademark license contract with the clothier
We have been following the situation regarding complaints about labor practices at the Primo S.A. de C.V. (Primo) apparel factory in El Salvador, from which Lands' End sources various men's, women's and children's clothing products which bear Duke's trademarks. The most serious of allegations involves the "blacklisting" of workers who are perceived to, or have actual ties to unions. One of the cornerstones of Duke's Code of Conduct for manufacturers is the requirement that the right of freedom of association and collective bargaining be upheld, and that no discriminatory or retaliatory actions are taken against workers who express an interest in or choose to exercise this right.
Based on information from both the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) and Fair Labor Association (FLA), it appears likely that "blacklisting" of workers has occurred, and thus far remediation of these issues by Lands' End has not been timely or adequate. Despite the ongoing efforts of the WRC and FLA over the past year, progress has not occurred.
The central issue in this case is the need to remediate the harm that was done to workers who were inappropriately denied employment at the Primo factory. To date, this has not occurred. We understand that both the WRC and the FLA have recommended, as the best solution, that Lands' End provides orders to the Just Garments factory, where a number of these workers have employment or will have employment. We strongly urge you to accept this recommendation, and, whatever concerns you may have, to work with the WRC, the FLA and Just Garments to resolve the issues and move forward expeditiously in a manner acceptable to the parties.
As you may know, in 1997 Duke was the first university in the country to adopt a code of conduct that required licensees to agree to independent monitoring of factory working conditions, including remediation of violations in a prompt and effective manner.
We value our relationship with Lands' End, and believe all of our licensees share with us the goal of continuous improvement in working conditions. However, in light of the circumstances at the Primo factory, we have decided to suspend the renewal of our trademark license with Lands' End. If and when a remediation plan is in place which satisfies the requirements of the WRC and FLA, we will reconsider our decision.
Sincerely Jim Wilkerson