At its June meeting, the CAUT executive committee voted to support the No Sweat campaign against the exploitation of textile workers.

Organized by the Maquila Solidarity Network, the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, the Canadian Labour Congress, Oxfam Canada and Students Against Sweatshops, the campaign is pressuring retailers, public institutions and manufacturers to stop selling or buying products made with child and "sweat" labour.

Across Canada, university students, staff and faculty have been pressuring campus officials to adopt a No Sweat purchasing policy requiring companies producing goods that bear the university name to abide by basic labour laws.

No Sweat policies have been adopted by the University of Alberta, Laurentian, Western Ontario, Waterloo, Guelph, Toronto, Dalhousie, Montreal, Memorial and McMaster. Campaigns are currently underway at Simon Fraser, Ryerson and Queen's.

"CAUT is urging local faculty associations to support No Sweat initiatives where they exist," said James Turk, executive director of CAUT. "Where they don't, we encourage faculty associations to help launch them."

Turk said CAUT will be sending No Sweat campaign packages to each member association this fall.

For more information on No Sweat campaigns, sweatshops and worker abuses visit: Maquila Solidarity Network (www.maquilasolidarity.org/campaigns/nosweat/), UNITE Canada (www.unite-svti.org/En/STOP_SWEATSHOPS/stop_sweatshops.html), Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/sweatshops/).