United Students Against Sweatshops
United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) is based in the Philippines, and the United States. It is heavily penetrated by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
History
United Students Against Sweatshops is the nation’s largest youth-led, student labor campaign organization, with affiliated locals on over 150 campuses. USAS affiliates run both local and nationally-coordinated campaigns for economic justice in partnership with worker and community organizations. Since 1997, USAS has won precedent-setting campaigns, educated students about the growing dominance of corporations in the globalized economy, as well as the intersectionality of identity and social justice issues with the labor movement, and has trained tens of thousands of young activists to become skilled organizers, researchers, and campaigners in labor and social justice organizations.
USAS seeks to hold accountable multinational companies that exploit the people who work on university campuses, in our communities, and in the overseas factories where collegiate apparel is produced. Students have unique leverage over the colleges and universities that are often the largest employers, the largest landlords, and large institutional investors in our communities and regions. Students also have leverage over the companies that value universities as clients. Over the past 19 years, USAS has won significant campaigns for organizing rights, fair contracts and living wage policies on campuses and in communities all across the US, using student power to support workers struggling to transform minimum wage jobs into living-wage, union jobs, and ensure universities support ethical contractors that set – not undercut – good employment standards in local economies.
USAS is committed to building the next generation of progressive leaders who will be at the forefront of labor and social justice struggles. In carrying out this mission, we actively practice the principles of collective liberation to prioritize the development and mentorship of students of color, working class students mixed-race students, women, transgender, queer and differently-abled students. We strive to build deep relationships with other grassroots movements because we believe the labor movement is part of broader struggle for global justice.
Read more about our current national leadership and our mission, vision, and organizing philosophy. You can also find an explanation of how our organization is governed, including a record of decisions membership has made.
Known Members
Camilo Romero organizer and also associated with Bayan USA
Leadership
As of 2016;
National Student Coordinating Committee
- Jada Young is a junior at Columbia University majoring in Urban Studies and specializing in Sociology with an intent of going to law school.
- Andrea Flores became involved with United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) during freshman year at UT Austin and is now helping to lead the student-worker solidarity movement there.
- Sara Parolin is a third-year student at the University of Washington in Seattle.
- Ciara Malaugh (she/her/hers) is a First-Gen -American living in the Deep South state of AL. She goes to University of Alabama, where studies Political Science and (unofficially) Romance Languages.
- Becky Fuller-Phillips is a junior at the University of Washington, Seattle, majoring in Informatics and minoring in Labor Studies and Music.
- Alyssa Lieberman is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Politics and Philosophy and minoring in French and Global Studies.
National Organizers
- Natalie Yoon graduated from the Ohio State University in 2013 where she studied International Relations and Korean.
- Gilbert Romero was born and raised in Arizona to a migrant farmworker family. He got involved in USAS while a Women and Gender Studies major at Arizona State University while volunteering with many community organizations.
- Angeles Solis graduated from Whitworth University in 2013 where she studied Sociology and Peace Studies.
Regional Organizers
- Dominique Scott is a native of Dallas, TX, currently residing in Oxford, MS.
- Kerrina Williams is a Southern California native currently settled in Boston. There she attends Northeastern University as a second year History major.
- Samantha May is a fourth year student at the University of South Florida where she majors in Political Science and International Studies and minors in Women’s and Gender Studies.
- Jolai Michel is currently a junior at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Sociology with a minor in Psychology.
- Dagan Brown is a junior at Columbia University.
Collective Liberation Caucus Co-Chairs
- Ashlyn Nuckols, a rising junior at Duke University.
- David Swayne is a second-year student at the University of Alabama majoring in English and minoring in French.
- Antolina Padua is a junior at Rutgers University and a member of USAS Local#109.
- Madeleine Lewis is a senior at the University of Alabama.
- Lucid Thomas is a second year student at Grinnell College in Iowa.
- Raiha Bajwa is a senior studying journalism and women’s studies at the University of Alabama.
Worker Rights Consortium Board Representatives
- Kanisha DiCicco is a sophomore at the University of Alabama studying Political Science and minoring in French.[1]
Past leadership
2013-2014 School Year
National Organizers
Coordinating Committee
- Anna Barcy, Rutgers University, Campus Worker Justice Committee
- Julia Wang, University of Southern California, International Solidarity Committee
- Timothy Singratsomboune, Ohio State University, Collective Liberation Committee
- Martin Xavi Macias, University of Illinois – Chicago, Collective Liberation Committee
- Rachel Shevrin, University of Washington, At Large Rep
- Leewana Thomas, Macalester College, At Large Rep
- Lingran Kong, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Regional Organizer Rep
Regional Organizers
- Amanda Mendez, University of California – Berkeley
- Bianca Hinz-Foley, University of Texas – Austin
- Brittany Whitaker, Spelman College
- Caiden Elmer, American University
- Caitlin MacLaren, New York University
- Claire Wiklund, Virginia Tech
- Cynthia Chavez Gallardo, University of California – Riverside
- DJ Gering, Wichita State University
- Jonathan Londono, Arizona State University
- Karen Li, Cornell University
- Katie Corbit, University of Michigan
- Lingran Kong, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Mark Ortiz, University of Alabama
- Martin Xavi Macias, University of Illinois – Chicago
- Naomi Carbrey, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
- Razzan Quran, University of Memphis
- Robert Naylor, University of Tennessee – Knoxville
- Sarah Newell, University of Southern California
- Troy Neves, Northeastern University
Worker Rights Consortium Board Representatives
- Jose Godinez, Syracuse University
- Maya Menlo, University of Michigan
- Rob Battista, Ohio State University
- Sarah Newell, University of Southern California
- Youbin Kang, Brown University
Campaign Organizers
- Jayme Massion, University of Illinois – Chicago
- Dominique Porter, Ohio State University
- Robert Ascherman, New York University
Alumni Organizers
- Anne Barnett, University of Tennessee – Knoxville
- Leewana Thomas, Macalester College
- A.J. James, University of Alabama
- Melanie Meyer, University of Wisconsin – Madison
2011-2012 School Year
National Organizers
- Vicko Alvarez, University of Chicago ’10
- Teresa Cheng, University of Southern California ’09
- George Robertson, University of Washington Seattle ’09
Coordinating Committee
- Terasia Bradford, Ohio State University, Regional Organizer Delegate
- Mary Yanik, Yale University, At Large Delegate
- Sarah Hirsch, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CCSC/Campus Worker Solidarity Campaigns
- Morgan Currier, University of Washington – Seattle, ISC / Garment Worker Solidarity Campaigns
- Emalee Thittavong, Northeastern University, At Large Delegate
- Casey Sweeney, Cornell University, Collective Liberation Committee
Regional Organizers
- Terasia Bradford, Ohio State University
- Casey Sweeney, Cornell University
- Keavy McFadden, Tulane University
- Marcos Perez, LA Valley College
- Margaret Russolelo, College of William and Mary
- Ann Levie, University of Maryland – College Park
- Tim Carlson, Santa Clara University
- Claire Lewis, Northeastern University
- Jonah Zinn, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Worker Rights Consortium Board Representatives
- Cristina Lor, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Ian Trupin, Brown University
- Rich Garzon, Rutgers University
- Morgan Currier, University of Washington – Seattle
- Mary Yanik, University of Maryland-College Park
2009-2010 School Year
National Organizers
- Jack Mahoney, Georgetown University ’08
- Shaun Martinez, University of Southern California ’08
- Rod Palmquist, University of Washington-Seattle ’08
Coordinating Committee
- Steph Adler, University of Washington-Seattle, Collective Liberation Subcommittee
- Kathleen Brower, College of William & Mary, Regional Organizer Delegate
- Ash-Lee Henderson, Eastern Tennessee State University, Political Education Subcommittee
- Gautam Kumaraswamy, Purdue University, ISC/Garment Worker Solidarity Campaigns
- Cherie Seise, College of William & Mary, CCSC/Campus Worker Solidarity Campaigns
Regional Organizers
- Kathleen Brower, College of William & Mary
- Sarah Farr, University of Chicago
- Ashley Gaschk, University of Minnesota-Morris
- Zack Lerner, Rutgers University
- India Thomas, Hampton University
- Ella Torti, University of Montana
- Jan Van Tol, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Mary Yanik, University of Maryland-College Park
Worker Rights Consortium Board Representatives
- Dida El-Sourady, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
- Eric Hoyt, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Ben McKean, Princeton University
- Matt Reed, University of Washington
- Ella Torti, University of Montana
High School Organizers
- Paloma Hidalgo, Thomas S. Wootton High School, Rockville, MD
- Jeff Tso, Glen A. Wilson High School, Hacienda Heights, CA[2]
USAS Facebook group
United Students Against Sweatshops Public Facebook Group, accessed November 24, 2017, is group for veteran USAS organizers.[3]
Admins
- Vicko Alvarez Vega, University of Illinois at Chicago
- Charlene Amber Obernauer, Youth Organizer at Jobs with Justice
- Rod Palmquist, Higher Education Strategic Coordinator at Washington Federation of State Employees WFSEc28
- Jack Mahoney, Organizing at WSRJB Workers United-SEIU
Members
- Celestial Jenkins, added by Ariel Howland on August 2, 2014
- Monique Thompson, added by Rod Palmquist on February 14, 2014, University at Albany, SUNY
- Steve Sharrow, joined about 6 years ago, Florida Atlantic University
- Vicko Alvarez Vega, joined about 7 years ago, University of Illinois at Chicago
- Antonio Luis Puig Redondo
- Michael Stewart, Riverland Community College
- Kristine Belizaire, Nova Southeastern University
- Marvin Brown, Associate at The Chandra Law Firm LLC