College and University Membership

Engaging actively as an FLA University Caucus member means both contributing to and benefiting from a reputable network that connects your university to realities beyond your individual campus.

The long-standing partnerships between FLA and institutions of higher education enable universities to have broad global impact on working conditions as leaders within our multi-stakeholder initiative which:

• Invites university perspectives to join the voices of labor unions, civil society organizations, and the business community to find pragmatic solutions to improve the lives of workers worldwide.
• Operationalizes the highest international labor standards for a variety of company sizes, structures, and business models to help collegiate supply chain partners meet their university licensors’ social compliance expectations.
• Builds on a 25-year legacy of working toward a future where fair working conditions are the standard, not the exception by continuing to build expertise and drive innovation to improve policies and practices that benefit workers around the world.

Benefits

Partnering and actively engaging with FLA adds value to your campus by enabling you to:

• Embody your university’s mission statement, values, and identity as an institution of higher education by making tangible commitments to and building knowledge about human rights and fair labor practices in the supply chains of your collegiate branded products.
• Protect and champion your university’s name and brand while mitigating risk by engaging with FLA’s robust suite of programs, including Fair Labor Accreditation of your licensees who are FLA Participating Company members; knowledge-building program for FLA Collegiate Licensees; the Fair Labor Investigations process which holds both Participating Company members and Licensee affiliates accountable for remediating workers’ rights violations; and innovation and advocacy efforts to advance global labor rights on behalf of our members.
• Serve as an on-campus resource for your colleagues and administrators on critical human rights topics through knowledge gained from FLA communications, resources, convenings, and optional board leadership, committee, and working group positions.
• Gain bespoke access to FLA staff expertise to support you with navigating situations on campus and with licensees related to supply chain human rights issues.
• Unite your university with a coalition of 135 institutions across higher education, networking and collaborating to create collective leverage and influence to make greater impact together than any one university could make alone. 
• Ensure your licensees are part of a well-established human rights due diligence program, either through the social compliance capacity-building FLA Licensee Program or the accountability-focused Fair Labor Accreditation program.

Criteria

Any institution of higher education in North America is eligible to join the FLA University Caucus.

Joining the FLA University Caucus signals your commitment to the following expectations, outlined in the FLA University Caucus Bylaws:

1. Require your collegiate trademark licensees to join FLA, either in the FLA Collegiate Licensee Program or as an FLA Participating Company.
2. Renew your FLA University membership annually, including paying annual dues
3. Publicly disclose in-scope factories and suppliers producing collegiate merchandise.

How to Join

FLA welcomes interested colleges and universities to reach out to us with any questions and to learn more. We encourage you to take the following steps if you are considering joining the FLA University Caucus:

1. Download the FLA University Program Overview to learn more about the program and to calculate your annual dues, which are based on licensing royalties.  
2. Email Danielle Roberts, FLA University Program Manager, droberts@fairlabor.org, with any questions and to schedule an introductory conversation.
3. Submit the FLA University Member Registration Form to droberts@fairlabor.org.