SEATTLE, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The University of Washington has terminated its licensing agreement with clothing manufacturer The Russell Corp., school officials say.
The move to pull the school's logos and icons from the clothier came after reports that Russell, owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. of Omaha, Neb., closed a factory in Honduras after workers started to unionize, something that violates the university's ethical standards, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Wednesday.
"Universities have adopted manufacturer codes of conduct to ensure that products bearing the university's marks are produced under humane conditions that respect the rights of workers," said UW President Mark Emmert in a statement.
The university is one of several colleges to recently announce a termination of its agreement with Russell in accordance with ethics codes, the newspaper said.
Company officials have previously asserted the Central American factory was closed because of a change in product demand, not to undermine unionizing.
