Georgetown University today donated $5000 to a new fund to assist former workers of the Hermosa factory in Apopa, .  Georgetown’s action comes at the recommendation of its Licensing Oversight Committee (LOC), a group of faculty, staff and students who advise university administrators about issues involving the manufacturing of licensed collegiate goods.

“The unique circumstances of this particular case warrant this significant step and will hopefully encourage others, especially the apparel brands, to contribute directly to meet the needs of these workers,” said Daniel R. Porterfield, Georgetown University’s Vice President for Public Affairs and chair of the LOC.  “We want to make sure these workers receive back pay for services already provided and hope that this can be a step in that direction.”

Georgetown’s efforts come after more than a year of review of this case, including investigations by the Workers Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association.  Although the evidence remains unclear whether any goods bearing Georgetown University’s name were produced at the factory in recent years, the LOC reached   consensus that a violation of workers’ rights had occurred and an agreement about the monies still owed justified this measure. 

Georgetown’s LOC was established in 2000 with responsibility for advising the university on establishing, managing, and reviewing policy toward, and relations with, the Collegiate Licensing Company and all licensees.  Georgetown is also a founding affiliate of the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC), an organization that assists in the enforcement of manufacturing Codes of Conduct adopted by its 172 colleges and universities, which will assist in distributing fund resources to workers.